A New Experience
by ad victoriam
Summary: A CyberLife researcher is sent to observe the rk800 series, a simple task like any other...or at least she believed it to be.
1. chapter 1

November 5th, 2038 at 10:00 pm sharp a series of knocks rapped on the office door. The woman sitting at her desk got up from her chair to open her office door. She knew exactly who the knocker was, she had been expecting him for some time. Opening the door she was greeted with just the one she was expecting. The latest Android model RK800 stood in front of her standing perfectly straight with a diplomatic smile on its face.

"Good evening, Dr. Margaret. I received report on a new case that happened not too long ago. I was assigned to a Lieutenant Anderson at the Detroit Police Station, but I believe you are also accompanying me on this investigation."

She nodded in confirmation, " Yes, as one of the primary observers in CyberLife I'll be watching how you handle situations, if your systems are functioning properly, and how you interact with the others at the police station." She smiles with a glimmer in her eye, " I'm very excited to see how you perform, Connor."

He smiles back in return. "Of course, Doctor I look forward to working together and I promise we will accomplish our mission."

Human Diplomacy functional, she'll record that in her records later.

The two walked out together into the raining night towards the destination of the police department to find Lieutenant Anderson, a recognized detective from what she had researched from and hopefully, a good help for this investigation. But, their hopes of finding the Lieutenant were cut short when the android receptionist informed the pair that the Lieutenant had left his post about 2 hours ago and that he had left to go to get a "fucking drink" as the Android tried replicating in his words. So now instead of investigating the crime scene, it was a duo search party to find the detective in any of the bars nearby.

Bar after bar they searched became sleazier than the last, and at this point her patience was running thin, however kept Connor kept insisting to keep looking.

"This is absurd, Connor. We've been looking for this man for almost an hour! We could have been on the crime scene long time by the now."

"I understand Dr. Margaret, but Lieutenant Anderson is essential to my mission. I need to find him as ordered. If we don't find him in this last bar, then I am uncertain of what else to do," he responded.

They got out of the taxi to find themselves in front of a bar named simply 'Jimmy's Bar" and entered ignoring the sign saying 'No Androids'. She scoffed at the sign and it's meaning. What would an Android even be doing at the bar? It's a pastime of humans, not Androids. Androids don't have free time.

As they entered the rather small bar the patrons in it turned to face the bizarre pair that just entered, and their eyes were drawn to the Android with the LED and a human next to him with a white, pristine uniform and the loud letters spelling out CYBERLIFE. But neither cared what the patrons there thought, they simply cared about where Lieutenant Anderson was.

Connor observed all the people at the bar, scanning their faces to figure out who was Anderson and if he was even here. After finishing his scanning Connor walked over to a man sitting by himself, hunched over on a barstool almost as he was hiding away in plain sight and introduced himself to the Lieutenant.

"Lieutenant Anderson, my name is Connor. I'm the android sent by CyberLife. I tried looking for you at the station but nobody seemed to know where you were. They said you might be having a drink nearby. I was lucky to find you at the fifth bar."

Introduction protocol working perfectly she quickly typed on her tablet.

Connor continued explaining to the Lieutenant why he was looking for him, but the Lieutenant seemed in no rush to leave, and even less to get to know Connor. "Well, I don't need any assistance. Specially not from a plastic asshole like you," he said bluntly and he glanced over his shoulder to Margaret. "And who the fuck are you?"

Margaret cleared her throat and responded, "I work at CyberLife as one of their researchers. I've been assigned to observe Connor as he tries to complete his own assignment. I won't disturb either of you while you're investigating. I'm simply watching."

Once again his lack of caring perturbs her as he keeps off putting Connor's insistence to come along with us. He just simply responds with his crude words and keeps drinking. And then Connor does something rather unexpected that leaves her a bit surprised. Connor buys Anderson another drink for the road. Perhaps a little too kind considering what they had gone through this evening, but now the Lieutenant seemed less tense and finally faces Connor.

"Did you say homicide?"

And with a sigh of relief they finally left the bar that had left her with a bad taste in her mouth with its unattractive patrons and suboptimal conditions, but her relief came too soon when they got inside of Anderson's car. It was a fairly old car considering it wasn't self driving and it was in poor conditions. Loud metal music blasted inside of the car, possibly from the last time he was in the car, and the car's sanitary conditions were probably violating a health law at this point with all the wrappers and papers strewn around, and the occasional stain from god knows where. Throughout the trip all three of them were silent, save for of course the music. Normally, she'd warn him of the speed he was going, but she wanted to leave the car sooner rather than later. Eventually, in a few minutes they arrived at the scene where people were gathered around outside the home. This was their destination. "

You wait here. I won't be long," Hank pointed his finger at Connor.

But before Margaret could object to his order, Connor quickly responded in return, "I'm sorry LT, but that goes directly against my instructions."

Seemingly annoyed by Connor, Hank brushed him off with, "Listen, I don't give a fuck about your instructions, now shut the fuck up and you two wait here," slamming the car door.

Margaret leaned over to speak to Connor from the backseat, "Connor, you know we can't stay here. This is directly violating your orders."

Connor opened the passenger door, "I know Dr.," and stepped out. She quickly followed him with an umbrella to protect her from the rain and scooted past all the curious people gathered outside. Finally, as she reached the porch of the home she managed to get a small whiff of the smell wafting from inside. It was absolutely putrid and she instinctively gagged from the offending odor.

"Are you alright, Dr?" Connor asks of her well-being. "Y-yes, Connor," she manages to croak out, "The smell simply caught me off guard, nothing more," she reassures.

Although, when she sees the decaying body a little aways from her, she had to gulp down the sudden bile in her throat and glance away as she steadied herself. Connor leaves her to go off to do what he was programmed and walks around the house with ease and purpose, quickly piecing together all the evidence to find out what happened. Each evidence he investigates with one of many of his forensics she takes note of. He's as accurate as he was programmed to be and much quicker than some of the forensics on site were. He was one of their most advanced prototypes and he truly showed it.

But now, a crucial question of where did the deviant go came into mind. Anderson suspected maybe he had gone out through the backyard, but no footprints indicated any other person had left. "Androids went left without instruction are usually lost and confused on what to do. Quite typically, most just stay in place waiting for the next set of instructions." Margaret chimed in.

The two looked at her in understanding and went back into the house to try and find the trail of invisible blue blood from the deviant. Connors eyes wandered around the home following the trial until he stood under an attic.

"Is that where the trial ends, Connor?" Margaret questions.

"Yes, it seems you were right. I think our deviant might still be here."

Grabbing a kitchen chair, Connor climbed his way up towards the attic as both Dr. Margaret and Lieutenant Anderson looked up waiting for any reaction coming from upstairs. The two stayed silent waiting to hear something, but all that could be heard was the raining pouring down and the ever so slow footsteps from above. Suddenly, they heard Connor shout from above, " It's here, Lieutenant!"

Anderson is caught off guard, "Oh shit!" and calls some of the officers nearby to come and get the deviant.

Connor climbs down with a neutral expression on his face. No shock, no fear, no smile of accomplishment. Just Connor running on autopilot and doing his job. And as the the two officers come down with the deviant handcuffed did Margaret smile at Connor for his good work. The deviant looked to be in shock, shaking and his eyes looking around everywhere as the officers pushed him outside. She quickly glanced at it and saw the state of it at the state of it. One of his arms looked to be hit with a bat as the hull had collapsed revealing the Androids inner workings. And several indents across his face and other arm were scattered about although she didn't know of what. Clearly, his owner had been hitting the android and the android simply responded, confused by the "emotions" it was feeling and feared for its destruction. It was a normal early sign of deviancy to see Androids act up against their owners, but a quick reset of their memory and programming easily resolved it all.

"Well, now that we found the android all we need to do is try and interrogate it to try and find anything from it," Hank said. "Christ, wish we could do this another day but looks like Captain Fowler wants us to interrogate it as soon as possible. Come on you two let's get this over with."

Hank walked away towards his car as Connor and Margaret stood there in the rain. She looked over at Connor who was standing in the rain rather emotionless and uncaring from the relentless rain. Of course, it must have turned off many of his sensors during the investigation, including his heat sensors, but regardless he was still getting drenched from the rain. Margaret stepped next to him to protect him from the rain and the sudden protection caused him to turn his attention towards her.

"I understand the rain doesn't bother you, Connor, but if you stay under the rain too long you'll be soaking and we wouldn't want to upset the Lieutenant by getting his car all wet." She said without looking at him.

And the two walked together under the rain till they got inside Anderson's car. The music continued blasting but at this point she didn't care, the threatening throbbing coming from her head was what preoccupied her most. Never did she think this investigation would get so difficult. That the people she was working with would be so…difficult. But she tried to shrug it all off and closed her eyes as they drove back to the station with the soothing sounds of loud guitars and yelling to keep her awake.


	2. 2

After a few minutes, the car comes to finally comes to a halt. They were here at the station where they should have met Anderson initially. But that was in the past, now a new challenge faced them. Trying to get a confession out of the android.

The police station was mostly empty save for a few faces here and there. She caught a look at the deviant being handled by the officers from before, it's head still hung low and its body still shaking as well.

"Where should we take it?" Asked one of the officers.

"Send it to the interrogation room, we're gonna try and make it talk." Hank responded.

Hank turned around to directly face Connor. "Look I'm gonna try and make that thing talk alright. You just stand behind the glass and watch, you got it?"

"Got it."

"And I'm sure you'll be in your element, observing everything from behind a glass wall huh?" Anderson directed at Margaret.

"Of course, I look forward to watching the interrogation."

Hank didn't say anything more and just squinted his eyes at her and waved his hand dismissively at her while walking towards the interrogation room with Connor following quickly behind him. Margaret didn't follow them immediately into the room and instead opted to look around the main area of the station and all it had to offer at first glance. The desks were composed of detectives and regular police officers, each personalized with small trinkets and most with pictures of what she imagined were loved ones. Back at CyberLife, all the desks were separated by small offices, no one was next to each other or would really see one another. It was very isolated compared to the close desks here. She had no idea how they could work under all the noise and interruptions of other colleagues, she was glad she had her own space.

She then realized she had spent too much time thinking to herself and hurried quickly to the interrogation room were along the way she met another detective entering as well.

"My apologies," She said politely.

"What the hell, you're not another fucking Android are you?" The man asked rudely.

She furrowed her brows, "No, I'm clearly not wearing any such clothing nor do I have an LED."

"You sure about the clothing, Princess? Have you seen how you're dressed?" He looks her up and down. "Well…I suppose you're not that bad," he smirks and walks in.

She couldn't help but tighten her grip on her tablet, bothered about the man's words. But before she walked in she loosened her grip and let out a sigh. When she walked into the room she was greeted by several figures inside the room. In it was Connor, a police officer, and the insufferable man in the corner who couldn't help but give her a wink as she walked in.

In front of her was a scene she had become far too familiar with. A large two way mirror showed Lieutenant Anderson sitting with the deviant in a room with only two chairs and table in between. Anderson kept asking the deviant questions, trying to invoke its memory and coax answers to questions. But he was there for several minutes with no response whatsoever from the Android. It was practically unmoving with no signs of cracking. Eventually, Anderson gave up.

"Fuck it, I'm outta here." He said while walking out of the room, frustrated from the lack of response from the "machine" as he liked to call them. The stranger who had run her patience dry even suggested to try and harm the android. She couldn't help but roll her eyes at his ignorance.

"There would be no point. Androids don't feel pain. You wouldn't get anything out of it." Connor stated.

"And self-destruct if they're under too much stress." Margaret further added.

"Then what do we do smartass," the man looks at Connor.

"I could try."

The man laughed at Connor like Connor has delivered a punchline. He somehow found even more ways to be unlikeable by the second.

"I think that would be a perfect idea actually. Androids usually find it easier to talk amongst themselves. They're less likely to open up to a human if they have something to hide." Margaret said. She motioned towards the door. "Go on, Connor. Choose your approach carefully. We want the android functioning so we can later inspect what went wrong with it."

Connor nodded and head towards the door and entered the room with the Android. She moved from her previous position of the back of the room towards the front to see everything up front and clearly through the glass. She had to make sure she caught every reaction from both the deviant and Connor.

Before Connor started his questioning however, for some odd reason he started looking at himself through the mirror glass. Getting closer to it as though it was inspecting itself. It wasn't until it got very close to the glass did she realize how close its face was from her. Of course, it couldn't see inside but it almost felt like it was staring right her and its piercing, analytical eyes were too much for her and she shied away from its gaze.

"What the fuck is it doing now?" Hank said clearly disturbed by Connors actions. It wasn't till she felt another set of eyes on her did she realize that he was actually talking to her.

She snapped out of it. "O-Oh, yes, well Androids sometimes like to see themselves in the mirror. I suppose in the sense you look in the mirror and expect to see your own familiar face and to see if you're really experiencing what's happening. I believe Androids face that similar existential question and have the tendency to do the same."

"Then why the fuck is he doing it? I thought he was supposed to catch deviants." Hank clearly not suffice with her answer.

And for once, she doesn't know why either. "It's just a theory of course, but I'll make sure to write it out on my note however…"

Throughout the rest of the interrogation everyone in the room remained quiet and watched Connor do his work and actually see the deviant open up to Connor. She took notes of everything that was happening. Connors method of questioning, the way he act aggressively towards the deviant to try and force it to say that he killed the man, and even the reactions of the deviant who imitated the reaction of a human going through PTSD. It was all truly fascinating. She has never seen a deviant be this emotionally responsive before, she had to catch herself several times in her report to make sure she referred to the android as it. The deviant was quite fooling she had to admit. And a part of her worried that if other deviants acted this way the public people would be fooled by the act. But that's why both her and Connor were assigned this mission. To prevent that.

"I'm done." Connor said looking into the mirror as he slowly got up from his chair.

Both the disrespectful man and the police officer left to go get the deviant and take it back to its cell. However, considering how shook up the deviant seemed to look, she had a bad feeling in her stomach. She couldn't help but follow them out as well.

"No stop! Don't touch me!" The deviant pleaded. He was becoming unstable as the officer tried to wrestle the android to get up from the floor.

"Connor," Margaret looked up him with worry in her eyes.

Connor knew perfectly well what would happen if they pressured the deviant too much. "Stop it. Don't touch."

"Stay out of this, you got it? No fucking android is gonna boss me around. Chris, are you gonna move this asshole or what?"

The officer continued to struggle with the deviant as he tried to squirm his way out of his grasp.

"If you keep doing this, you'll stress it and it'll self-destruct" Connor kept insisting.

"Shut the fuck up! Ok, shut the fuck up," the man clearly had enough of Connor, his face scrunched up with anger.

"I said that's enough!" Connor ripped the hands of the officer from off of the android. "Leave it alone!"

Before she even realized it, a gun had been pointed at Connor. And of course, it belonged to the man who she had grown to despise in just a few minutes.

"I warned you, motherfucker!" He shouted at Connor pointing the gun threateningly.

And with that she was at her wits end. From inside her coat she pulled out a weapon of her own. A device developed by CyberLife that released electrical currents strong enough to cause an android to be momentarily deactivated and gave a nasty shock to any human. But the man didn't need to know what it was, she just wanted to intimidate.

"I see you even try and do something towards Connor and I swear I will shoot. You are directly threatening the mission of CyberLife and it's property. You will pay the consequences dearly if you do not put the gun down this instant," she says coldly.

The man looks at Connor with hatred and then looks back at Margaret with equal contempt. He finally puts the gun away with anger. "Fuck!" He grits through his teeth and then leave the room. "Fuck!"

Margaret finally puts her weapon down and to her surprise notices that Anderson had also withdrawn his weapon out.

Connor reassures the Android, effectively calming it down enough that it obeys Officer Chris outside. However, as he passes by Connor he comes close to him and whispers, "The truth is inside."

He as well gives her a look as he passes by. She wondered if it was supposed to be a combination of both fear and anger. Regardless, she really didn't care.

She walks up to Connor and questions him, "Are you alright, Connor?"

"Yes, I'm alright doctor, thank you. However, threatening another officer perhaps was unnecessary. Had he gotten too upset it could have been possible he could have shot you. I, however, am a machine and can be repaired or replaced."

She shook her head. "I understand that Connor, however you always lose some memories when they are transferred and that hinders the mission. And any threats to you as well, will be taken quite seriously."

He nods in understanding and looks past her to see Lieutenant Anderson still standing in the same room as them. "I'd also like to thank you Lieutenant, for allowing me to question the deviant."

"I don't give a shit who did it, we just needed it to talk that's all. Now, if we're done here, I'm heading the fuck home. Tonight's been too fucking crazy." And he leaves the room.

"Come, Connor we should leave as well. I know you must return to CyberLife and I have to finish these reports."

"Of course, doctor."

As they wait for a taxi to come pick them up, Connor asks, "How do you think I performed, Doctor Margaret?"

She smiles proudly. "Everything you did was done perfectly, Connor. You got the deviant to confess, while also maintaining balanced stress levels. And you can easily change your attitude from a very aggressive approach to calm, and understanding. Deviants are usually an emotional mess, and you managed to manipulate that quite well. I'm very pleased by these observations," She congratulates him.

Connor smiles back her, an almost proud kind of expression on his face.

She, of course understood what was happening between them. She knew that androids liked being told they were doing a good job, especially a very driven one like the Connor series. Her compliments were simply to keep it in check and to motivate it to continue the repeated result. And it in return would get a good response from within its programming to indicate it had done something good. It was a healthy balance between their two roles. As it should be.


	3. 3

Margaret walked into the Detroit police department early with a little less energy than usual. The interrogation last night had lasted till midnight, plus the time to get back to the home she really hadn't received the necessary amount of sleep she'd like to. But, she had a job to do and so here she was at 9:00am.

The police station was much livelier than at night. Most of the desks were filled, the tv playing the news in the background, mixed in with station codes and phone calls from all across the city. CyberLife was much quieter than this, she'll have to get used to this soon, however it wasn't the worse thing either.

She stood standing against one of the walls of the station as she surveyed the place for Lieutenant Anderson's face amongst the officers. However, he wasn't anywhere to be found, not even at his desk. She sighed, the man couldn't even arrive to work on time. Was he really such a good detective as he's said to be?

About 20 minutes of just standing there she saw Connor walk into the station. It scanned the station and found her almost immediately and walked towards her whilst fixing his tie.

"Good morning, Dr. Margaret. It's good to see you," Connor greeted.

She nodded politely back, "Equally as good to see you, Connor."

Connor looked around the station and looked dissatisfied to find a missing Anderson. "Have you seen Lieutenant Anderson?" He asked.

She shook her head, "No, I've already asked around and it seems they don't know when he'll arrive either. They really do let him get away with much."

"If you don't mind, Doctor, I'd like to survey the area. I think it would be beneficial to know my way around the station."

"Of course, Connor. There's not much we can do without Anderson regardless."

Connor started first with Anderson's desk, scanning every little detail about him. It was in a disarray with boxes of donuts, stickers, a hat, and a mysterious fur stuck to his chair. She had to stop herself from picking up the mess, she knew she'd get an earful from the Lieutenant if she touched his things.

Connor then headed over to break room where Margaret had already glanced at it. There was Detective Reed, she had found out what his name was earlier when she was looking at the names on the desks. She refused to be in the same space as him and let Connor go, warning him that Reed would almost certainly try something.

She observed from a distance as she saw Reed move from the coffee table and stop very closely in front of Connor, almost like he was trying to intimidate Connor. They kept talking and she couldn't pick up much from their lips but it had something to do with coffee?

Suddenly, she saw Connor fall to the floor. "What the- "

She quickly walked past all the desks towards the break room with a sour look on her face.

"Stay outta my way. 'Cause next time… you won't have anyone around to protect you," Reed threatened Connor quietly and pushed the side of his head down.

He looked smug with a smile on his face and laughing about it to his officer friend, until he turned around to face Margaret right in front of him and he quickly shut his mouth.

"I'm sorry, but did I see you punch Connor back there? Am I correct?" She asked calmly.

"You seriously defending that plastic asshole? You prefer him over me?" He said sounding offended.

"This has nothing to do about preference. This is simply you constantly threatening and possibly damaging an android from CyberLife. However," she quickly typed something in her tablet and then smiled back at him. "I'll simply send you a bill of expenses coming from my superiors in case you ever do something out of line." She walked past him without looking back, "I expect this won't happen again."

In the break room, Connor was still on the ground watching the whole scene. His LED was turning back to blue from its previous yellow. She wondered why it had changed color?

She extended her hand towards him. "Are you alright, Connor?" She asked.

He stared at her hand for some time till he slowly accepted her offer and grabbed her hand. It was soft.

"Yes, Doctor, I'm fine."

"He didn't damage anything did he?"

"No, he simply punched me around the area of my pump regulator, he winded me that's all," he reassured her.

She nodded, "Good, this shouldn't be an issue anymore. If he tries anything you come to me. You understand, Connor?" She said while looking serious.

"Of course, Doctor. I should have listened to you to be more careful. I understood that I might have gotten on the wrong foot with Detective Reed, so I hoped I could ease any tensions between us. However, it seems his hatred for me won't change anytime soon."

"It's something we will both have deal with during our investigation, it's inevitable. However, never let those sentiments get in the middle of the investigation, alright?"

"Of course, Doctor."

She patted him on his arm. "Come, hopefully Lieutenant Anderson will arrive soon," and the two walked back to Anderson's desk to wait for his arrival. The walk back to his desk seemed much longer than usual as she felt the gaze from several officers as she walked by. Was it the earlier incident that made them stare? She looked down at her appearance. She was wearing her usual CyberLife uniform that was neatly arranged and perfectly straightened out. It was almost a fluorescent white compared to the dark colors of the officers. For the first time she felt…embarrassed by her appearance. A feeling she did not like.

Her internal thinking was interrupted as she saw Lieutenant Hank walk into the station. "I'm sure everything will go much smoother, Connor. Try to use some small talk and ease the tension," she whispered to the android. Hopefully, Anderson will be in a better mood than yesterday.

…"Stop pissing me off!...or things are gonna get nasty."

She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. 'Can Connor not get harassed or threatened for just one day' she thought throughly done with the human race for one day.

"Lieutenant, please if you could-" she almost finished her plea before one of the officers interrupted both of them and informed the Lieutenant on one of the android cases.

Anderson reluctantly let Connor go from he had picked him up by his jacket. And walked away pissed off to god knows where.

Margaret simply looked at Connor, exasperated already so early in the morning. Connor fixed his tie and gave her a knowing face. They both knew this would be a long couple of weeks.


	4. 4

There had been recent reports of an AX400 robbing from a store with a little girl in her care. From what Connor informed of her of the case, the Android has apparently attacked its owner and left in the middle of the night. But stealing a little girl? The android must have grown an attachment to her and decided to run away with her...or steal her.

Regardless, of its intentions the android needed to brought to justice for robbery, and the little girl needed to be returned home to her father.

The three of them questioned around the stores asking if they had seen the android around. While some of them did say they spotted her and the little girl, none knew where she went afterwards.

So now here they were, standing before a motel to question the front desk employees. The android needed to sleep somewhere for the night if it had a little girl in its possession. It was raining harshly and the weather had already begun to get chilly in Detroit. And with an android that still was new to the world, they must not have gone far.

"Lieutenant Anderson, Detroit Police," Anderson flashed his badge at the front desk employee. "A female android robbed a store down the street last night. You see anything?"

The man looked at him confused. "Android? No, I don't allow androids here," he responded.

Connor showed the man an image of the AX400 from his palm, "Did anyone like this come in last night?"

"Fuck...she came in her normally dressed...there was no way of telling the difference," he responded.

"Is it still here?" Anderson asked.

"Yeah, probably, Room 28," the man pointed upstairs.

"Thank you."

Anderson ordered the rest of the officers to surround the area to check if anyone tried to leave. "You two wait in the car," Anderson ordered.

"I'm sorry, Lieutenant, but you already know we can't do that," Margaret refuted.

"I'm sorry, Lieutenant, we don't wish to upset you," Connor added.

"Then you two need to stop busting my balls if you want to see the end of this mission," Hank looked at them coldly and walked towards to the motel room.

"Come, Connor, let's get this over with," Margaret encouraged him forward.

The day was still dreary and rainy like the previous night before. Neither Connor or Anderson cared to bring an umbrella with them. Connor, she understood, he simply didn't care. But Anderson had no protection from the rain, and with his already disheveled appearance, was getting wet a good idea? It seemed apparent he didn't care much for his well-being, but regardless of his mental state it didn't mean he needed to be so carefree about his work. It bothered her too much.

"You," Anderson addressed her. "Stay behind me and try not to get in the Androids way if she tries attack you, got it?"

"Understood," She took a few steps back from the pair as Hank readied his gun before opening the door.

Hank slowly opened the door and scanned the room with his gun ready for anything threatening he saw. But, he quickly realized that the room was in fact empty, it was a fairly small room and there wasn't any possible hiding spots in it.

Hank sighed and put his gun down, upset from the lack of anyone in the room. "It's gone," he said.

Suddenly, Hank's radio broke the tense silence in the room, "Holy fuck it's them," an officer shouted into his radio with a immediate thud and crackle of his radio thereafter.

Connor quickly sprinted out of the room, past Margaret and went down the stairs where an officer pointed towards the train station. And without a regard for his own safety, Connor ran to catch the perpetrators.

"Goddamn it! Does your dumb machine listen to anything I have to say?!" Hank shouted at her. "Damn it, Connor!" He cursed and ran as well to try and follow Connor.

"He isn't mine!" Margaret shouted after him, and tried to somehow catch up to the two, silently cursing the small heels she wore everyday.

She ran under the rain and cold and huffed behind Hank who was also struggling to catch up to Connor.

For once she had wished Connor wasn't designed with such speed.

She eventually caught up after she let go of her umbrella and stopped caring about the rain, but it seemed already too late when she saw the android and the little girl pass over the fence.

"Holy fuck that's crazy," Hank said breathlessly.

The scene before her had her heart racing even more than chasing after Connor. The android and the little girl weaved and ran between the rapid cars and trucks that passed through the highway. The cars had no intention of slowing down and she swore that the android had even gotten hit a few times. If her heart could leap from her throat, then she fully expected it to when the little girl tripped in the middle of the busy crossroad.

"No!" She shouted, gripping tightly onto the barbed fence.

Connor slightly lifted himself up the fence, ready to jump over it.

"Where the fuck do you think your going?" Hank questioned.

"I'm going after it."

Hank hunched over and waved at thought dismissively, "There's no way they're gonna get cross anyway."

"I can't let them get away," Connor determined, attempted once again to jump over.

"No, the fuck you aren't! You're gonna get killed. Don't go after them, it's an order!" Hank forced him back down by the ends of his jacket.

Connor looked at Margaret for guidance or perhaps approval from her. She looked down at her feet for answers, she was conflicted. "Connor, I-I don't know..." she said truthfully.

His LED was yellow as he stared at the android and the little girl crossing the highway. He must have been extremely conflicted by what he was ordered to do. No doubt he wanted to chase after them so badly, but Anderson had made a direct order, and when even she hesitated, it seemed he was left with no choice but stare onwards.

The three stood in the rain till they saw the android and the little girl finally get across. They somehow had managed to reach the other side. She had to admit...she was impressed by the androids dedication. The AX-series were typically quite caring and protective of children, but going this far for a child... Even some mothers wouldn't go so far as it did. This thought gave her something to ponder.

"Come on, let's get out of the rain. There's nothing more here we can do. Let's get back to the station," Hank said and walked back while informing the others through the radio that the android had gotten away.

Only her and Connor stood together in the rain.

"Doctor Margaret, why did you hesitate on whether I should follow the deviant or not? I thought it would be a simple decision. We needed to capture them for the investigation. What stopped you?" Connor questioned.

She looked up at him and saw the conflict in his expression. His eyebrows furrowed and his lips tightly pressed together. Was he upset at her?

"I'm sorry, Connor. I was just worried about the little girl mostly. While we needed the android alive, the human girl wasn't a risk worth taking. Even if you had caught up to them, the risk of harming the girl was still there. You as well, could have been destroyed in the process, and I'm sorry but it wasn't worth it," she admitted.

Connor studied her as his LED kept flickering yellow. For some time she felt her eyes locked to his and she was unable to look away. It wasn't until thunder rumbled in the sky that she was broken from her trance. How long was she staring at him?

"We should get out of the rain, Doctor. If we stay too long you could get sick, I already see your temperature has dropped significantly than it was before," he advised.

"Yes you're right, Connor, we should," she agreed.

"Here, use this."

Connor took off his jacket and used it as protection from the ruthless assault from the rain.

"This should keep you safe from the rain. As I recall, you said Lieutenant Anderson would get upset if I got into his car soaked. I imagine his frustration would be the same with you."

She simply nodded dumbly as his gentleman-like action. She understood the full extent that CyberLife had equipped him with in terms of his social abilities. But this was beyond humanly good, however that was the idea.

The two walked together under the rain till the reached Anderson's car and Connor helped her in without wetting the inside seats.

He smiled at her and closed the door for her. His LED had turned back blue.


	5. 5

A few hours after scouring the area to see if the android was anywhere close by ended up in failure. It throughly escaped their grasp and the case was put on hold until they got another lead or sighting. It was now 3 p.m. and Anderson decided that he would take a quick lunch break.

"You want anything?" Anderson asking her even though he clearly didn't want to.

"I-uh what do they sell here?" Margaret asked looking over at the small food truck.

"Burgers. My friend makes the best burgers in Detroit," Hank says proudly.

She looked over at the dingy food truck and the unkept state of it. She gulped, "I'm...alright. Thank you for the offer."

"Suit yourself," and Hank closed the car door behind him, leaving Connor and her alone.

"He really should stop leaving us in here. I'm not a child you leave unattended," she complained.

"Doctor Margaret, perhaps I started off on the wrong foot with Lieutenant Anderson. I should attempt to reconcile with the Lieutenant. Would you like to join me? I know you don't like being left behind," Connor asked.

She sighed and looked at the rain with weary eyes. Would this rain ever stop?

"Very well, I suppose I should try to make "friendly" conversation too," She moped.

The two quickly made their way over to the Lieutenant who was making some sort of dealing with a shady looking man. No doubt Connor was already scanning his surroundings and the man whom the Lieutenant was talking to.

"All right, I'm in," Anderson shook hands with the man and discreetly exchanged some money with him.

"You won't regret this!" The man shouted back at Anderson, leaving happily with the few bucks he made.

Connor approached Anderson and stood next to him closely. Anderson looked away in disbelief at Connor's insistence to stay near the Lieutenant.

"Don't you ever do as your told?" Anderson said exasperated. "I thought CyberLife was supposed to make obedient machines. The fuck happened with Connor?" He said annoyed.

"Connor is actually performing his functions quite well. Perhaps, you shouldn't give him conflicting orders that interrupt his mission," Margaret said slyly.

"Didn't know acting like a goddamn poodle was in his programming," he huffed.

Connor tried to ease the conversation and nudged Hank with his elbow, "Now that we're partners, I think it would be a good idea to get to know each other better so we can work as a team."

"We are not partners," Hank gritted through his teeth. "I'm a human, she's a human, and you're a machine. So stop with that "buddy-up" bullshit program, alright?" Hank tried to make it clear.

Connor remained quiet as he watched Anderson get his meal.

"Hey! Don't leave these two plastic things here," the server shouted at Anderson.

"No chance! They follow me everywhere."

Margaret frowned. Two? She wasn't an android, why did everyone confuse her one?

"Excuse me Lieutenant, but your friend was very rude. Why was he accusing me of being an android?" Margaret asked seriously.

Hank gave her a blank stare and stopped mid-chew. "Cause you dress like fucking one," Hank responded.

"But this is simply my uniform. It's just like how you and Connor have your own attire, I have my own," She rebutted.

"Doesn't make it any less true." He answered simply. "I wouldn't be surprised if that android back at the motel saw you a mile away. You're a goddamn beacon with all that white you're wearing."

She hated his words. But, she hated even more that he was right.

Connor and the Lieutenant kept the conversation going without her. Connor questioned him about the shady man, Anderson's friend and their not so legal activities, and the outstanding amount of calories Anderson was consuming. For the most part, the chat seemed somewhat friendly. At least they were getting somewhere.

"So, do you have any questions about me?" Connor asked

"No," Hank quickly responded, "Wait, actually. Why did they make you look so goofy and give you that weird voice?"

"CyberLife androids are designed to work harmoniously with humans," Connor said matter-of-fact.

"Well, they fucked up," he said bluntly.

Margaret perked up, "I think they did a fantastic job."

The two looked back at her and she shied from their gaze. "Well it's true..."

"So, tell me you know everything about me, don't you?" Hank tested Connor.

Connor nodded and went on about Anderson's achievements and honors and even spoke about his recent less than stellar disciplinary notes.

"So what's your conclusion?" Hank slurped on his drink.

"I think working with an officer with personal issues is an added challenge," Connor said carefully, " but adapting to human unpredictability is one of my features," and winked at Hank.

She couldn't help but smile. That was pretty smooth of Connor. He really was trying to make this work.

Connor blinked repeatedly as his yellow LED did the same. "I've gotten report of a suspected deviant nearby...we should check it out. I'll be in the car if you need me."

Hank kept staring at Connor until he got into the car and took another bite of his burger.

She sighed. "Thank you for reconciling with him, Lieutenant. I understand it's been a challenge for all of us, but all we want to do is crack this case is all. I'm sorry if we've disturbed you. That wasn't our intention," she apologized.

"Look, you ain't that bad, alright? Just...stop acting so weird."

"Weird?" She wondered.

"Yeah, acting like you're all high and mighty and shit. Wearing those weird clothes, talking like a damn robot. For your information, Einstein, you ain't one of them."

"You're asking me to...change?" Did she hear that right?

"You want us to crack this case? Then make it easier for me and stop acting like a fucking weirdo, and maybe we'll get somewhere."

"I- " she never had such a strange request from anyone she had worked with. Act normal? But this was how she always acted. "I will try my best, Lieutenant. My apologies I didn't realize I was making you uncomfortable, but thank you for the feedback."

"I'll leave you to your meal, Lieutenant. I'll be in the car as well," she said politely.

A few steps walking forward, Hank called out to her, "Hey, you sure you don't want anything?" He asked her.

She kept her grimace to herself as she thought of the amount of calories in his meal. "I'm fine! I'm not really hungry. But, um, thank you for the offer," she said sincerely.

Inside the car, her and Connor waited till Anderson was done with his meal. And then they were off the chase their new lead of the case.

The place they were tipped off was an apartment complex that had seen better days. Graffiti written in the hall way, the floors were filthy, and even pigeon feathers scattered here and there. Once they infiltrated the apartment room itself, they were surprised to find an uncanny amount of pigeons everywhere. It smelled absolutely awful and the amount of pigeon feces and feathers was enough to even rival the decaying corpse of their first investigation. No human could ever live under these conditions.

They searched around finding clues on who the suspect was and if he was even here, but given the pattern of previous androids it probably wasn't too far away. RA9 and the mazes scratched and marked on the walls puzzled her. Obsessive writing was not something she had seen in all her years of observing androids. Or at least...she didn't have any access to those files ever since-

From out of nowhere, something dropped from above the ceiling. The pigeons flew upwards in a frenzy, scared from the sudden movement, getting in the way of Hank and Margaret.

"Goddamn fucking pigeons!" Hank cursed trying to wave away the pigeons from him.

The suspect burst out of the room in a frightening speed. "What the hell are you waiting for? Chase it!" Hank ordered Connor.

In a flurry, Connor sped out of the room in a speed that neither one of them could ever hope to reach.

"Come on, let's try and catch them," Hank said running out of the room.

Margaret looked down at her small heels once again. "Goddamn it, not again," she cussed and pitifully tried to reach the both of them. But from out in the distance the high speed chase between the androids was a sight to been seen. They jumped and slid and bumped through every obstacle in their path, even ending up on top of train.

"Holy shit!" Hank said breathlessly as he watched in disbelief of the speed and relentlessness from both the androids. Any other human would have given up or tired out, but those two had no thought in mind to do that.

"Come on," Hank huffed, "Let's try and cut its path."

Margaret nodded wordlessly and they ran towards one of the buildings, the suspect had to pass. When they finally reached the building, the suspect approached them quickly within seconds with no intentions of stopping.

Hank jumped out at him from out of the corner of the building and tried to apprehend the android, but the android thrashed around making it an hopeless cause. "Stop it, you fucker! Stop moving!" Hank shouted at the android, but the android kept struggling and became even more aggressive. All Margaret could do was watch helplessly.

From the background she could hear rapid footsteps tapping on the concrete floor quickly approaching them. Connor!

In a last attempt, the android used all of its force and pushed Hank away causing him to tumble over the edge and hang on to dear life.

"Lieutenant Anderson!" Margaret shouted and threw herself on top of the android. But she wasn't fit for combat and didn't have the same strength as Hank and the android, without much effort pushed her away as well and she skid on the concrete floor with her elbows. Fuck did that hurt.

She looked up at Connor who behind her was making an internal decision. Hank or the mission?

"Connor!" She shouted him out of his trance. "Help Anderson!" She pleaded.

Connor ran over to Hank and pulled him up with his hand. She sighed in relief. But now the android was long gone...

"We had it!" Hank said.

"I'm sorry. I should have been faster," Connor said disappointed with himself.

"You would have caught it if it weren't for me... that's alright," he nodded. "We know what it looks like, we'll find it later." Hank looked conflicted. More than ever before. Connor had chosen his life over the mission...something that went against everything in his programming.

"Can someone help me, please?" Margaret asked from the ground.

Connor rushed over and bent down to help her up. She winced from the pain, "Damn, that android really had some strength to him," she joked.

Her elbows burned from the raw skin being exposed after the nasty fall. She looked at her elbows and saw the torn skin and the bright red blood covering it as well.

Without hesitation, Connor reached out with his two fingers and touched her elbow to get a sample of her blood and brought it to his lips.

"Connor, what the fuck did I say before?! That's disgusting, you can't do that shit, especially not with a damn human!" Hank scolded him.

"You seem to be in healthy condition, Doctor. Good cholesterol and sugar levels. No signs of any tumors cells, and your blood count seems in good condition. I believe you survived this encounter," Connor relayed to her.

Margaret laughed and turned to Hank, "You hear that, Lieutenant? Looks like I won't need to go to the Doctor's office anytime soon," she jokes.

He grumbles and shakes his head and starts heading back into the building and stops in his tracks. "Hey, Connor..." He calls out to him.

The two look at each other and Connor waits for his response. 'Say thank you' she thinks internally.

"Nothing," Hank gives a half-assed smile and walks away.

"Connor, I think he meant- " Margaret tried to explain to him.

"You're welcome," Connor says softly.

And then she knew that he understood what Hank was trying to express in his own way and she smiled at the progress that was made today.


	6. 6

7:00 p.m. on November 6th, a homicide had been reported over 40 minutes ago at the Eden Club downtown. Ever the eager and persistent android, Connor decided to take up the investigation and pass by Hank's house to pick him up since he didn't find him at Jimmy's bar. He imagined Hank was simply sleeping in.

Margaret and Connor walked out of the taxi and into the rainy night. They'd already made good progress on the case earlier, but Connor didn't want to wait any longer and decided it would be a good lead for this investigation. She had to admit, a detective's job was hard work.

Connor rang Hank's bell repeatedly trying to alert Hank of their presence. But every ring was met with no answer or noise from the inside.

"I'm going to check through the windows to see if I can spot the Lieutenant from the inside," Connor told Margaret and peaked inside of Hank's windows.

"You do realize you're probably going to scare the Lieutenant when he sees your face in the window, right Connor? He's going to get mad at you," she warned him.

Connor heard her warnings, but kept spying inside regardless. Window after window nothing was to avail until Connor looked inside the kitchen window and what he saw was a shocking scene.

Inside the window he could Hank unconscious on the floor with some booze spilled on his shirt and floor.

"Hank!" Connor shouted.

"Connor? Is something wrong?!" Margaret rushed over.

"It's the Lieutenant, he might be hurt!" And without hesitation, Connor broke the window and tumbled his way inside.

"Easy there...Sumo? I came here to save your owner, see?" Connor reassured gently with his hand, a peace offering for the giant Saint Bernard. And without much thought, the big dog walked away and returned to his slumber.

Margaret clumsily tried squeezing through the broken window without hurting her self with the leftover glass. Meanwhile, whilst she was comically trying to enter into the home, Connor was slapping the daylights out of the Lieutenant. If CyberLife had told her that this was in the job description, she would have turned the offer to observe the RK800 series almost immediately. What even was her life anymore?

"Get the fuck outta my house" Hank slurred his words at Connor, upset from seeing the android invading his home.

"I'm sorry, Lieutenant but I have to wake you up for your own safety," Connor said lifting Hank up with ease.

"Thank you in advance for your cooperation," Connor said jokingly.

"I suggest you take him to bathroom, Connor. He's..." Margaret smelled the combination of sweat and alcohol and her face scrunched up at the strong odor. "He needs to wash off some of that smell off," she tried to saying kindly.

The two stumbled and Hank grumbled and groaned all the way to the bathroom where Margaret opened the door for them to go in. Even through all of Hank's drunken struggle and denial to get in the bath, Connor finally pushed him into the tub.

In the background Hank's screaming from the sudden cold water and rude awakening could be heard as Margaret observed Hank's bathroom mirror. On his mirror were sticky notes of various colors pasted all around. On them words like, "I'm not grumpy I just don't like YOU," "Shave or Not," "keep smiling" were written as remainders. Writing sticky notes like these were typical methods to try and be positive, and can used as ways of encouraging behaviors. A normal coping method from those suffering from depression or self-esteem issues...

She glanced over at the scene happening next to her and saw Hank cursing out Connor for breaking in and telling him to get the fuck out.

"You're right, a murder at a sex club downtown. Guess they'll have to investigate without us," Connor teased Hank and walked away from him in attempt to coax the older man with a tempting offer.

"You know...I could use some fresh air," Hank gave in.

A small, hidden smile formed on Connor's face.

"Get me some clothes and I'll get ready," Hank asked and wobbled out of the tub.

Margaret and Connor peaked inside of Hank's closet and saw the array of old-school shirts the Lieutenant had. He certainly didn't keep up with the times.

"What do you want to wear?" Connor shouted from the room.

"Anything!" Hank responded.

Connor looked at the shirts, hangar from hangar and struggled to decide on something.

"Here, just give him this. He'll look somewhat presentable with this," Margaret made it easier for him and handed Connor a shirt that was streaky. Not her first choice...but she didn't have much to work with.

Connor walked in to give Hank his clothes, only to find Hank huddled over the toilet heaving and sweating for dear life.

"Are you alright, Lieutenant?" Connor looked at him concerned and confused.

"Yeah...yeah, wonderful," Hank said in between coughs. "Give me five minutes, okay?"

"He'll be fine, Connor," Margaret reassured him, "He just needs to get it out of his system," and she closed the door behind them as the regurgitating sounds of vomiting could be heard through the bathroom door.

The two decided to look around Hank's home as they waited till he got better. The house was in equal disorder as was his car and his life. Old takeout containers left open and left laying around. Trash bags from who knows how long ago let on the kitchen floor, not to mention Sumo's toys strewn around and she shivered at the though of what other things were left unattended in this home.

A part of her felt sorry for the Lieutenant. She understood he was going through some rough times, but she never thought it would be this serious. He was experiencing all the symptoms of depression... He needed help and most importantly, he needed company.

She observed as Connor did his own investigation of Hank's home, paying attention to his interests in jazz and junk food. But what peaked his interest the most was a gun left on the floor next to where Hank was laying.

Margaret could feel her stomach drop when she realized what he was going to do, "Russian Roulette" as Hank explained from the other room. But what really made her heart stop was the picture of a little boy on Hank's table. She could only imagine the worst and she bit her lip at what Hank must have been feeling while staring at the picture with a gun against his temple. She was disturbed by the imagery in her head and overwhelming feeling of sadness laid heavily on her chest.

A gentle touch on her shoulder awoke her from her thoughts. Connor looked at her with concern as he tried to gauge what she was feeling.

"Are you feeling well?" Connor asked. "I noticed a drop in your blood pressure and your heart rate has increased in a matter of seconds. If your condition worsens we may have to call an ambulance."

Margaret shook her head," No! No, Connor, I-I'm fine," she tried steadying herself.

"You know I can tell when you lie, right Doctor?" Connor reminded her.

She sighed. "I know you can, Connor. I'm fine, really. It's just..." her eyes drifted at the picture and the gun. "I didn't know, Hank's condition was this bad. I feel terrible about my judgement of him. I can't imagine what it must feel like to lose..." her words drifted and grew quiet, almost to a whisper.

"You've done good for him, Connor," she looks at him in the eye. "I think you're just the person to help him through this," she smiles at him and she notices his LED turning into a yellow color. Lately, it had been changing yellow more often than ever before.

Connor's eyes left hers and looked behind her. In front of them stood Hank fully dressed and in much better condition. He stared at the two in silence and his lip turned up ever so slightly, and even Connor couldn't help but return it back.

"I see you can still clean yourself up, Lieutenant," Margaret teased him, grinning at his clothes.

"And I see you finally got rid of that damn costume of yours," he pointed out her change of clothes.

She took Hank's request to heart from earlier and decided a change of clothes would be more appropriate for the tasks ahead of them. She replaced her whites for dark browns and blacks. She wore a similar long coat like Anderson's, of course in much better condition, and opted for some boots instead of her heels.

"Think you can finally keep up?" Hank poked fun at her.

"Judging from Doctor Margaret's previous performance and lack of physical activity. I find that there will be not much improvement," Connor piped in.

Hank snickered at Connor's analysis.

Margaret gave a dirty look to Connor who decided the picture on the wall looked more interesting than anywhere in her direction.

"Very funny, Connor. I see you've adapted quite well to human interactions," Margaret said sarcastically.

"That was not a joke, Doctor. I'm quite serious about my statement," Connor said with a blank face.

Hank's shoulders shook in silent laughter and she refused to stand there and be made fun of and walked out through the door.

"Alright, Sumo, be a good boy and stay here. I'll be back soon," Hank ordered the gentle giant Sumo.

The three entered the car where Hank drove them all the way downtown to where the crime scene took place. Throughout the car ride Connor tried to speak with Margaret and make eye contact with her, but every time he tried she simply ignored him and refused to meet his eye. She was merely trying to make him feel bad, but his sad eyes and put down demeanor made her feel like shit. Damn it...she'd have to tell him later that she was merely joking around. But instead she kept her act going for now and stared outside the car window as the rain kept falling with no end in sight.


	7. 7

It took them around 30 minutes for the blue and pink neon lights of the sex club to finally invite them inside. "EDEN CLUB", read the subtle sign above them. She knew about the club for some time now. They were a constant customer of CyberLife, buying the latest and best sex Androids the company developed. Thankfully, she never had to observe any of the androids for this particular function.

"Sexiest androids in town," Hank read the flashing ads inside the club. "Now I know why you wanted to come here, Connor," he joked.

As they walked inside they were greeted with androids inside their glass casings, ready to be rented watching the three with eager eyes. Androids of all races, hair color, and genders were made to satisfy all types of desires. They were all well-fit and were perfect in every way, fantasies ready to be fulfilled. And with the sessions so cheap...who wouldn't take up the offer.

Margaret couldn't suppress the shiver she felt down her spine. Out of all the androids ever developed this was one of types she never agreed with. Having something with the ability to simulate emotion and pleasure be at the mercy of others without much say in who they be with or what they do to them was...immoral in her view. An escort had to option to choose who to be with, but an android who's whole life to perform is sexual acts...it was disgusting. But she kept tight-lipped. CyberLife didn't like to be questioned.

The room in which the murder took place presented her with three things she did not like. Two corpses, and a detective Reed.

"Lieutenant Anderson, his plastic pet, and CyberLife...the fuck are you guys doing here?" Detective Reed insulted.

"We've been assigned all cases involving androids," Connor responded simply.

Detective Reed being eloquent and professional in his way of investigating, made rude comments on the deceased man who apparently got "too much action". And then preceded to poke fun at the smell of booze, bump shoulders with Connor, and give Margaret the same wink and smirk that haunted her dreams. The man certainly went out of his way to be the biggest asshole out there.

But now with the room left for them to investigate, it was time to search and observe the environment around them. Her biggest interest was the female android lying on the floor, and Connor seemed to have the same idea.

Connor did what Connor was infamous for and licked the androids blue blood to analyze.

"Woah! Hey! Hey! Argh, Connor you're so disgusting... I think I'm gonna puke again," Hank shouted in disgust.

She shook her head at Hank's constant comedic reactions to Connor's analysis. It would never get old.

Putting the pieces together, they came to the conclusion that the man had been strangled, but whether it was from rough play or deliberate murder, was still yet to be known.

"Maybe you can try to access its memory," Hank wondered.

"I need to reactivate it to access its memory. I might only get a minute or less with it," Connor said as he opened the android insides.

Margaret knelt down to take a look at the androids internal biocomponents and wires. Connor was right, several essential biocomponents had been damaged quite badly, and it's wirings had come loose, not to mention the leakage of blue blood it was suffering. They would need new repairs for it to properly function once again.

With a connection of one the wires, the android opened its eyes and began to function once more. Still in a state of fear and shock from the last it had been working, she quickly crawled away from Connor.

The android reminisced her experience with the man, claiming he was hitting her over and over again. She winced and stumbled on her own words when recalling the man's abuse. The android reminded her of one the first cases that they had been assigned. The android who murdered its owner had also reacted in a terrified manner, shaking as they recalled the memory of the human abusing them. She also remembered how much she didn't care back then at the androids disguised sense of fear, and it's look of hatred at her knowing she had a hand in his creation. But the cold, uncaring emotions before disappeared the more cases she observed. And a part of her was scared about that.

But now they had a bigger challenge at hand with the revelation of a third-party being the possible murderer of the man. All they needed was some type of eye-witness to see the android escape the room, but since the club didn't have any CCTV footage, it would make things much harder than needed to be.

Margaret walked around the lobby, feeling the desired stares of the androids and increasingly grew uncomfortable from it. She wanted to leave this place as soon as possible.

"Lieutenant! Can you come here for a second?" Connor asked Hank standing by one of the Traci's.

Margaret approached the two as well to see what Connor had in plan.

"Can you rent this Traci?" Connor questioned.

"For fuck's sake, Connor, we got better things to do," Hank believed Connor had ulterior motives.

"Just trust me," Connor persisted.

Hank completed his purchase of the Traci and she walked out of her casing, eager to take Hank to their room. But before any action could start, Connor grabbed the Traci's arm and connected with her.

"It saw it leave the room. A blue-haired Traci," Connor said excitedly. "Club policy is to wipe the androids memory every two hours, we haven't got much time!"

So now began the wild chase of renting just about every Traci they could to try and find the elusive android. Purchase after purchase, they continued to pinpoint the location of android.

"You know, you can help with the expenses too," Hank pointed out to Margaret.

"I suppose CyberLife could cover the expenses after I file a report with them," she shrugged and purchased a Traci herself.

"You shitting me? You could have told me after the fifth one I rented," Hank said slightly pissed off.

"I'll include you in the report," she tried to reassure him.

Finally, after accessing a janitors memory, Connor found that the android had fled to where some of androids were stored.

Androids that been damaged or no longer functioned properly were stored in the back, waiting to either be thrown away or sent for repairs. The dark room and eerie rain in the back along with the lifeless androids unnerved her. This was wrong. Android or not this was...awful.

Suddenly, from the shadows two androids leapt at Hank and Connor. There was a the blue-haired Traci, but who was the other android?

The pair battled it out, throwing objects at one another, wrestling one another with Margaret watching helplessly at their struggle. Hank had warned her before to not interfere when anything life threatening happened, but she hated watching the possibilities of injuries or even worse happen before her.

In a reckless attempt to curb one of the androids assault on Connor, she grabbed the androids arm before she plunged the screwdriver into Connor's arm. With a strong pull she threw the screwdriver away from the androids reach, however her victory was short-lived, the android's attention was now on her.

The android gripped her neck and squeezed while pushing her against a counter. For an android with a sexual purpose, the amount of strength from her was surprising.

"Doctor Margaret!" Connor shouted and pulled the android off of her. Their battle continued outside in the pouring rain where the blue-haired Traci joined her and held the other android's hand.

Wincing from her sore neck, she witnessed the two Traci's fighting tooth and nail against Connor. They weren't fighting to hurt him, they simply wanted to get away...

The other android in a last rush attempt ran in Connor's direction, but she immediately stopped when she noticed Connor pull out a gun and trained his aim at her.

At the moment, no one said a word, no one moved while Connor stayed still with his finger ready to pull the trigger. But no gunshot was ever heard and he lowered his gun.

The blue-haired Traci gave an eye-opening revelation that moved her heart and raised doubts in her mind. She just wanted to be with the person she loved, risking everything for a chance to be free of this disgusting lifestyle.

"You wouldn't want any woman to suffer this would you?" The blue-haired addressed her.

She shook her head numbly. No...no one deserved this.

And with her admittance that she defended herself from the man, she and her lover jumped over the fence and escaped into the night.

"It's probably better this way," Hank excused their escape.

"You alright, kid? I told you not to get involved when shit like this happened," he asked her and touched her neck gently.

"It's just sore, maybe I'll have some light bruising. But I'll be fine," she answered.

"Come on, let's get out of the rain. Maybe get something to eat," he ushered her over.

"Give me a second, Hank. I'd like to check up on Connor."

He nodded and walked back inside the club.

Connor was still standing in the rain staring at the fence where the two girls stood.

"Do you think I did the right thing, Doctor Margaret?" Connor once again seeked her advice.

"CyberLife created many androids to do many jobs. But this one function...I've never approved of," she explained. "Would you like it if I were in the same position?"

Connor shook his head almost immediately, "No! No, of course not. But, you're a human, Doctor, they're just-"

"I know, Connor. They're just emulating emotion...I get that. But fulfilling a human's vices still isn't right, they seem human and feel like a human...perhaps that might be close enough," she admits her doubts.

"And I think you have your own as well," she looks at him.

He stares back and analyzes her expression and his own previous inaction. His LED was flickering madly, he was struggling with his decisions.

"I don't know what's happening Connor, to be honest. But I think as the day gets closer till we have to choose what side we're on, we'll know what to do," she reassures him.

"Will CyberLife be upset by this?" He questioned her one last time.

"Probably...if I put it in my report. But...I think stating that they got away will suffice in their eyes," she gives him a look so he could catch on to what she was trying to imply.

His LED slowly turned back to its bright blue and nodded in silent agreement.

"Although, I think they will question why I rented so many Traci's," she laughs.

"Human do tend to have urges from time to time, it's not so strange," he answers seriously.

"Yes, but this makes me look like I'm quite desperate, don't you think?"

"I suppose like how I'm desperate to solve this case, you're desperate to- "

Margaret cuts him off before he could finish this sentence. "That's enough, Connor!" She stammers, embarrassed by Connor's analysis. Her face heats up by the his calm manner of saying such bold things.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you," Connor picks up her body temperature and apologizes.

She sighs, she never knew if he was being serious or if he was actually joking around as well. Either way, he still managed to get her to blush. Strange...an android making her blush. She never thought she'd see the day.


	8. 8

The clean up for the bodies and the recovery of any possible evidence to several hours to deal with. They spent so much time there the weather had changed from the ruckus of the rain to the gentle snow that enveloped the night with a silence. Hank suggested they find something to eat since they had spent several hours without much rest. Hank being used to fast foods and such, brought them to another food truck. He seemed to know many of them in town.

With a hot chocolate in hand as defense against the cold and a way to satiate her hunger, Hank drove to an unknown place without speaking much. She noticed that he had purchased a beer earlier and was even drinking some while driving. She had a bad feeling in her stomach, but she was afraid he would snap at her if she brought it up.

They finally stopped at a playground by Detroit's bridge, overlooking the river and the city. Without a word however, Hank parked and got out of the car with his beer in hand. Maybe if he had been another person, she would have left him alone. But the Lieutenant wasn't in the right mind sometimes and the last thing he needed was to be alone.

Her and Connor got out of the car to accompany him. She sat on the bench he was sitting on, although giving him some space while Connor gazed at the beautiful scenery in front of him.

Hank and Connor had their own conversation. About Hank's son, about the girls at the Eden Club, about the whole investigation in itself. It was a bonding time for them and she silently excluded herself from most of the conversation and minded her own business as she sipped on her hot chocolate.

"What about you, Connor? You look human, you sound human, but what are you really?" Hank questioned in a gruff voice. He stood in front of Connor in a confrontational way and now she could no longer ignore the tension in the air.

"I'm whatever you want me to be, Lieutenant. Your partner...your buddy to drink with...or just a machine, designed to accomplish a task."

"You coulda shot those two girls but you didn't..." Hank pushed Connor, "Why didn't you shoot Connor?! Some scruples suddenly enter into your program?"

The grip on her cup tightened.

"No!" Connor responded quickly, looking frightened from what Hank was insinuating. "I just decided not to shoot...that's all."

He decided. She knows the significance of those words. He chose what to do.

"But are you afraid to die, Connor?" Hank sneered.

She felt her blood pressure drop when she saw the familiar object in his hand. A revolver. Pointed right at Connor's head.

"L-Lieutenant, please be rational," she said carefully.

But her words went unnoticed by the Lieutenant.

"I would certainly find it regrettable to be..." Connor hesitates.

He doesn't want to say killed.

"Interrupted before I can finish this investigation ," he finishes.

Hank questions what would happen if he pulled the trigger. A question even she doesn't know the answer to. But she didn't want Connor to find that out.

"Nothing..." Connor breathes out," Nothing..."

"Tell me this, smartass...how do I know you're not a deviant?" Hank finally asks the golden question of the hour.

She already knows the answer to that question, but Connor has his own.

"I self-test, regularly. I know what and I am not," Connor puts his simply.

Hank's hand wavers and his hand shakes as he struggles with what he wants to do, and what he knows he shouldn't. Finally, his face falls in defeat, and so does his gun.

"Where are you going?" Connor asks him as Hank opens another bottle of better.

"To get drunker! I need to drink..." Hank says in a somber tone and gets into his car and does what he's been doing since the beginning. He leaves them alone.

Finally, Margaret releases the grip on cup she didn't realize she had, and breathes a sigh of relief that the situation had blown over.

"Are you feeing alright, Doctor?" Connor asks her the familiar question.

"Oh, yes. Completely fine. Watching a possible murder happen right in front of your eyes is a sure way to brighten anyone's day," she says sarcastically.

"That wouldn't qualify as murder, Doctor. It would be an issue of damaging me severely."

She shook her head. "Same thing," she says quietly.

"I've noticed in instances where I am in danger or anyone mistreats me, your blood pressure and heart rate seem to behave abnormally. Why is that?" He wonders.

"Connor...I don't know, really. It just...frightens me," she admits.

"But I can come back," He rebuttals.

"And you wouldn't be the same Connor I know."

He sits down next to her and his eyes wander over her form. He can tell she's upset.

"I'm not the same person as I was before we began the investigation. I've...changed. And I don't know if it's for the better," she says worried.

"I think you've done a fantastic job so far in this investigation. Your insight and knowledge have been valuable and we couldn't do it without you," Connor tries to cheer her up in his own way.

"And that's just the thing, Connor. I don't know if my job is a good thing," she swallows. "What if I'm wrong? What if this whole investigation is wrong?" She looks at him with fear.

"You can't falter now, Doctor. Not when we're so close," Connor inches a bit closer to her.

She looks down and stares at the cup in her hand.

"I know CyberLife has kept things from me. Even as one of their long time researchers and trusted employees, they won't allow me to ask any questions or look over any files that could help in their investigation. I ask and they simply silence me. How am I suppose to know anything if they don't tell me!" She shouts in frustration.

"Can't you see, Connor! This is more than just CyberLife and a few deviants. This is escalating quickly, much more than ever before and all CyberLife is doing is sending one android and one observer?! Somethings not right!"

She grits her teeth and shuts her eyes clothes. "And even I have moral doubts on all this. My emotions have finally gotten the better of me and now I can't help but care."

She grips his arm and looks him straight in the eye. "You're struggling too aren't you, Connor. I know you answered this to the Lieutenant, but I know you know that you've changed as well. Please, Connor I won't berate you if it's true," she pleads him to tell her the truth.

His eyes are scanning all over for answers, and the LED that has betrayed him multiple times has betrayed him once again with its yellow color. "I- " he falters in his response. And she eagerly awaits his response.

He pulls away from her touch. "I'm fine, Doctor. I know my mission and I know what my goal is. Perhaps, you should rethink what you have to do," his programming speech kicks in.

She looks at him in disappointment and returns back to her distant position. And he can't help but feel disappointed in himself too.

"We should go find, Hank...he shouldn't drive under these conditions and he'll get into trouble if he's drinking..." she says softly.

He nods and goes to find a taxi for them so they can go and look after the Lieutenant. She simply remains hunched over on the bench, looking depressed at her now cold drink. And every programming in him tells him that he's done something wrong.


	9. 9

Just as she had suspected, the deviants had made themselves public to the people. They had infiltrated into the Stratford Tower and left a message for all of Detroit and the world to see. A peaceful message backed up by peaceful actions. Not a single guard had been killed and no unnecessary destruction or vandalization occurred.

The tension from the previous night had continued onto the investigation with all three of them being relatively reclined and quiet. It's not every night where your life gets threatened and your very existence gets questioned. So they simply behaved professional with one another and did their jobs respectively.

There was not much evidence however, of where these androids had gone to. The only thing they really had information was the model serial number of the presumed android in charge.

The suspected deviant who assisted the others to get into the tower was heavily damaged from Connor's quick thinking and impressive skills and he prevented a massacre from happening. But now finding the location of where these deviants hid was much harder.

Connor throughout the investigation had been acting strangely, and even Hank had questioned her to say if his behavior was "normal". To tell the truth, no he wasn't. But since Hank's outburst was just last night, she didn't want to admit her suspicions. Had she written down everything Connor had been doing progressively through these cases, then they might have decommissioned him a long time ago. And if she didn't care about him she would have turned him in, but times have changed and so had she.

She knew he had changed when he chose to kill the android instead of sparing it and questioning it to find the location of the mysterious deviants. She knew he had changed when he kept questioning if she had been ok when the deviant pushed her against the wall and knocked her out for a few seconds after he had attacked Connor. His touch and voice was unnecessarily gentle and filled with worry. She knew he was different, Hank knew it too, but Connor refused to see what he had become.

Now with the FBI in the mix, their case came to a standstill for now. Even though most of their days continued on to the next one, today they were permitted to head home early and let home security deal with the rest.

Margaret flopped uncharacteristically on her couch. These past couple of days had been exhausting, although she did have nights like these in CyberLife. None of what she did however, left her this physically exhausted, and also harmed. She placed some ice against her head that was still suffering from her encounter with the deviant at Stratford Tower. She pressed her fingers against her neck, the bruises were slowly fainting away. To be honest, this was the worst she had been physically and mentally.

But work had to be done and she decided she might as well continue writing her reports. Her usual detailed reports had become vague and lackluster. No one had questioned her on it, but it was only a matter of time. She scoffed. Did CyberLife even give a shit? They were on the verge of civil war and all they do is send her and Connor. You would think they would send all sorts of models, have all sorts of surveillance androids out on the streets or even try and infiltrate the mysterious Jericho where all these deviants supposedly came from. But they did nothing. They just watched and closed themselves into their tower and continued to sell androids. She began to get pissed off thinking at all the things she had to go through and how much she sacrificed for this case, for this company. She had worked for them for years and no matter how successful her work is they wouldn't let her know anything about her boyfriend's!-

Riiiinng

The doorbell? She hasn't heard that noise in forever. Who could it be?

"Doctor Margaret? It's me, Connor!" A muffled voice was heard from the other side.

She sighed. Of course.

"Give me a second, Connor!" She shouted back and locked her report away. If Connor saw that she withdrew some information from it, he would have gotten upset.

She opened the door and was greeted with a familiar face. His whole demeanor and look reminded her of the first day on the job when they went looking for Hank at five bars. Except, he looked the same, but she had changed.

"Connor, what are you doing here? Did CyberLife send you?" She questioned him.

"No...I came on my accord," he responded.

Oh.

"I see?" She was confused by his actions but still tried to be civil. "Well, come in then," she invited him inside.

Connor treating everything like a crime scene, walked around her home and analyzed everything he could find. Her paintings, her decorations, any clues he could find about her. He did this while she awkwardly watched him from her seat. "Um, Connor? Did you come here to speak or to investigate the place?" She finally asked him.

His eyes opened slightly in surprise and his LED flashed yellow. "Yes, of course," And he sat down in a seat distant from her.

The two sat in silence for some time and Margaret simply stared at him in confusion, urging him to say something.

"Connor, what were?- " she began.

"I came here to apologize for my behavior early," he cuts her of.

"Ah," of course.

"I noticed a sudden change in your behavior when we were back at the tower. You usually provide information for the investigation, but today you were reserved. I imagined my behavior from the previous night might have something to do with. I don't wish anything to harm our relationship or this investigation," Connor explains to her.

She sighs and hates that she can't stay mad at him. "Is that your programming speaking or is that your genuine thoughts?"

"I- " he's stumped. He furrows his brows and looks down in thought. "I...think it's real?" He says unsure.

"It's alright, Connor, I forgive you," she smiles and reaches over to touch his arm. "Don't stress yourself over if it's real or not. I think it is."

He recalled from his memories that this was the sixth time out of three days that she had touched his arm and each time the touch increased in time by a few seconds. The gesture was not required for the investigation...but many things he has done recently were not required...but if her and Hank allowed it, then maybe he would continue to do it.

"You have a very nice home," Connor exclaims suddenly.

"Oh, you like my home?" She says looking around.

"Yes. It's very much...like you," he tries to compliment her.

She shakes her head and laughs at his attempt at small talk. Looks like he hasn't learned since his talk with Hank.

"Yes, the white décor looks very CyberLife and boring doesn't it?" She laughs wryly.

"Boring? Why would you live in a home that's boring?" Connor doesn't understand.

"Well, I used to find it a nice home before, but since my life hasn't been a bit more exciting than usual, it doesn't seem to suit me anymore," she jokes.

He stares at her for some time and is displeased when he notices her physical condition. The bruises on her neck, and the bag of ice for head on the table that indicated she was still in pain from earlier.

"You should be more careful in the future, Doctor. Your injuries have become more frequent and more severe. I suggest rest before anything serious happens to you," Connor worries.

"But haven't you always come to my rescue? I think I'm perfectly fine," she defies him.

"I try my best, but I would not like a situation where I have to choose between you and the mission," he says quite seriously.

"And what would you choose?" She asks quietly.

His eyes dart back and forth with his mouth slightly agape. "I-" he knows his answer. His programming is screaming at him to say the mission. Always the mission. But every possibility in which she or Hank gets hurt, seems relatively worse.

"It's fine, Connor. You don't need to answer that," she wrings her hands together guiltily. "I shouldn't pressure you with such questions. I understand it's hard for you right now. My apologies."

The silence between them returns, although more peaceful than before.

"Would you like to here some of my music?" She breaks the silence.

Connor looks at her in surprise.

"I...noticed you took an interest in what Hank likes to listen, so perhaps you'd like to know mine as well," she says sheepishly.

"I don't really listen to music on my own, but Hank's favorite genre has...peaked my interest. I'd liked to see what you enjoy, " he smiles.

She smiles widely in a manner he hasn't seen before and she excitedly fiddles with the stereo in her home to find her favorite songs. He had never seen her this...alive and free before. She had always been professional and straight to the point. Occasionally, her real personality cracked through, but even so she tried to suppress her and focus on her work. She kept explaining her favorite artists, why she liked them, and her guilty pleasures while Connor just nodded and listened with interest. Her laughter and infectious positivity affected his own emotional programming. It confused him and also pleased him. The hours they spend listening to her music together filled him with, what he associated to be, the human emotion "joy." And what stood out the most to him was how...pretty she looked all throughout the night.


	10. 10

Kamski's place...

A secluded home a few minutes away from the city and not much else in sight. Apparently Hank had made some calls and had a meeting planned with Kamski. To think that a detective with no prior interaction with Kamski had more access than her, upset her in more ways than one. But she bit her tongue as they waited for him in the little lobby area he had in his home.

She wondered what Connor was feeling, meeting the person who essentially created him and his kind. Many people debated on the existence of God...but would Kamski be considered that? It would be a philosophical question for another day as the Chloe finally ushered them in to meet Kamski.

She nervously walked in with the others to meet Kamski, after all he was her boss from some time till he left the company. He was a hard worker and dedicated to his company, and he apparently knew all of his employees by names. She had spoken with him a handful of times when he was still CEO...she wondered if he still remembered her.

The room in which they entered was extremely lavish and unnecessary in all kinds of ways. A giant red pool took up most of the room, Chloe's were talking amongst themselves in just swimwear, and the decorations were minimalistic, a homage to CyberLife's own appearance. It seemed like Kamski's confident attitude never changed.

Kamski spoke highly of androids, of course they were his own creation. But the question arose that was on her own mind. Is the idea to be free a contagious disease? All throughout his talk, Kamski's eyes never left Connor's, almost like he was observing Connor's reactions to his talk about free will. Kamski had always intimidated her, but the tense air as he asked Connor what side was he on, snapped her out of it.

"It's not about me, Mr. Kamski. All I want is to solve this case," Connor responded instinctively.

Kamski laughs at Connor's response. "That's what you're programmed to say...but what about you? What do you really want?" He stands closely to Connor, and eagerly expects his response. He's testing Connor.

She hated how he treated him like some sort of test subject. Connor was more than that. But she hated to admit that she wanted to know his response too. Connor had been too afraid to talk about himself and his wants. She's been wanting to know the answer to that question since their time at the bridge.

Connor makes that confused and troubled face he makes when faced with questions such as these. "It doesn't matter what I want..." and gives her quick glance from the corner of his eye.

Now, Connor was faced with a choice. A Chloe was the price for the final information they needed for the investigation. One answer to one question of Connor's choosing, at the exchange of the Chloe's life.

"Here, I'll sweeten the deal for both of you," he finally takes notice of Margaret.

"Doctor Margaret? If I remember well...you were demoted from your original post. Such a shame, you were quite an asset to the company. If Connor shoots this android, I'll make sure you're put back in your original post...and you'll get access to all the files you want," He tempts her.

She's shaking at the offer he placed before her. To finally return to where she belonged...and also learn everything about the deviants, and perhaps even...

"Choose! Make your decision, Connor! Shoot her!" Kamski insists.

"Connor! Don't..." Hank demands him.

Connor is stuck between the two as they both demand to choose one and the other. She can see him struggle and his LED was flashing even more than she had ever seen before.

He looks at her in silent plea, begging her to make a decision for him. And deep down she wants to say, her selfish, cold self wants to say yes. But, the girl on her knees, unaware of the death right in front of her, brings her back to the two girls at the Eden Club. And she realizes...she can't bring herself to do it.

"Connor...you can't keep looking at me for what to do. You have to make this decision by yourself. But if it were me...I would spare her," she admits her feelings.

For some time she sees Connor's finger almost pull on the trigger. But finally after some deliberation, he puts down the gun.

The confusion and shock in Connor's eyes pulls at her heartstrings and her heart hurts at the terrible choices Connor will be forced to make from now on.

"CyberLife's last two hopes of humanity are a deviant, and a traitor..." Kamski says in fascination.

"I'm not a deviant!" Connor quickly denies.

"A war is coming and you have to choose a side. What can be worse than choosing between two evils?" Kamski looks at him with pity.

"Come on, let's get out of here," Hank pulls both Connor and Margaret and pushes them out of the room.

"Next time, you look at your files...maybe you'll find something you've been searching for," Kamski whispers to her before she's pulled away.

She walks away numb from the whole ordeal and finally leans against the car and lowers her head, overwhelmed from the words of Kamski and what she knew she had lost.

In the background she hears Hank and Connor discussing with one another of what happened back there. But she blocked out everything and felt tears threaten to slip out of the corners of her eyes. She wanted to make Connor do it so badly, to be the person she wanted to be recognized as. But her newly found moral compass made the final decision for her and she chose what she didn't want to, but what she needed to do.

"Hey...you alright, kid?" Hank places a gentle hand on her shoulder.

She shakes her head, "No...not really, but I'll be ok in a couple of minutes," she wipes away at her eyes.

"Your blood pressure has lowered significantly since we entered Mr. Kamski's home. I suggest you rest, in case you feel light-headed," Connor adds in his own analysis.

She simply nods and gets in the car, avoiding the look Connor was giving her. She didn't want to see his face of disappointment at her decision. She wouldn't be surprised if he made a report to CyberLife about how she betrayed the case and the company. But right now, she didn't want to think, and so she leaned her head against the car door and fell asleep to try and forget it all.

Meanwhile, in the front seat, Connor looked at her through the rear view mirror, worried about her emotional condition.

"Don't worry, Connor. She'll be alright, she just needs some time," Hank notices Connor's worry and reassures him.

"She refused to look at me when we got in the car. She did that back at Stratford Tower as well, but I remedied the situation. Have I disappointed her?" Connor asks.

"No...I think she's scared you might be disappointed in her."

"Why...would I be disappointed?" Connor says in confusion.

"You're always so damn uptight about the mission and CyberLife. She thinks you'll be upset at her for choosing not to kill that girl."

Connor nods slowly and looks up once again at the rear view mirror and sees that her condition has stabilized. She looks peaceful and calm. She hadn't looked like that for a long time. Connor's LED finally returns back to blue.


	11. 11

They were off the case. Just as simple as that. The situation had escalated to national security, too big for just Hank and Connor to deal with, so now they were back on homicide...and her and Connor returned to CyberLife.

But the thought of returning back to CyberLife terrified her. Her and Connor had failed the mission. He would be destroyed. And she would lose her job...or maybe even something more.

They were so close to finding the answer to all of this. To where these deviants hid, but the decision was final and there was nothing left to do, but Connor was insistent and pleaded with Hank to give him five minutes to look over the final pieces of evidence.

"Perkins! You piece of shit!" Hank shouted angrily at the FBI agent and the punched him straight on the nose, knocking him down on the floor.

Well...that's one way to distract everyone.

Connor requested that she stay back and watch instead of going with him to the evidence room. Too much attention, he said.

As Connor walked his way over to the evidence room, she noticed Gavin quickly in tow behind him.

"Hey, Gavin! Can I talk to you?," she asked trying to distract him.

"I'll be there in just a sec, sunshine," he responded back and kept walking forward.

Shit.

She waited anxiously, helpless to do anything, watching as Hank was pulled away from Perkins who was bleeding from his nose.

"So, you and your little android are finally leaving back to CyberLife?" Gavin finally returned back from the evidence room.

She sighs in relief. Connor must have dealt with him.

"Yes. It seems like our investigation was not so fruitful. We return to better understand what happened," she says monotone.

"Geez, you ever lighten up or do you always talk like that?" Gavin points out rudely.

"I'm sorry, this is simply the manner in which I speak, nothing more."

Gavin looks her up and down, looking impressed. "Well, at least you finally changed outta your outfit. If you acted a little bit more normal, maybe we could hang out some time," he confesses to her.

That's quite the opposite of what she wants.

"Well, I'm not entirely sure that would be-"

"Hey, what the hell is your plastic pet taking so long? The fuck is he doing in there?" Gavin spat and glances over at the evidence room. "Maybe I should take a look before he does any weird shit..." he begins to walk over.

"Wait!" Margaret lashes out her hand to grab him. "You mentioned a date, yes? If you'd like... this weekend we could spend some time together," she says sweetly.

"Oh, so CyberLife is game, huh? Maybe you're not so bad at all," he gets closer to her.

"Even if we had some differences, I must admit I always found you an attractive man," she looks at him with hooded eyes.

"Well, I'm sure we'll find something to do. Here, take my card, it's got my number on it. Call me anytime," he hands his card over and gives her a final wink before he struts away proudly.

Her expression changes quickly to disgust as soon as his back is turned and she shoves the card deep in her pockets, hoping it got crushed beyond use. Finally, from the evidence room emerges Connor. She quickly straightens up and walks alongside him as they walk together out of the police station, giving Hank a quick knowing look that Connor had succeeded in finding what he needed. She'd contact him later.

When they were finally far enough from the station, she asked Connor, "Did you find what you were looking for?"

"Yes, I finally know the location of Jericho. It should lead me straight to the leader of the deviants," he confirms.

"But...how will you get there? There's a curfew for everyone in Detroit, and they're rounding up many of the androids. If you get caught..." she trails off, preferring not to think of the consequences.

"I need a disguise of some sort, but I don't have any other clothes. Do you have any?"

"I-" she hesitates, a pained expression on her face. "Yes, I have some clothes that should be of some use to you," she nods. "Let's head back to my home...and you can leave for Jericho..."

The quiet ride back home only fueled her own anxiety. She had no idea what Connor was planning to do. If he tried to kill the deviant leader, then he would surely get killed. He would overwhelmed by the possible thousand other deviants there. It would be a suicide mission. Simple as that.

Now, back at her home, Margaret searched through the back of her closet where she had some old clothes in a large brown box. It had been years since she had opened it, and along with the clothes, came memories as well.

"Here, these should fit you," she handed Connor over a pair of jeans, and a leather jacket. Even though he couldn't feel the cold, this would protect him.

She left him alone in the bathroom to let him change into his disguise. She looked back into the box and gulped the lump in her throat. Raw emotions that she had refused to acknowledge for sometime rose up all at the same time. Even after all these years, she thought she could still smell her boyfriend's scent from his clothes. It was some years ago when he had died a mysterious death at the hands of an android. One of the first occurrences an android had killed a human. So of course, CyberLife tried to cover it up, even within the own company. She pleaded and begged them to let her analyze the android, question it, or do something to try and understand something. But CyberLife always hated questions, and she was always the questioning type. So they demoted her and slowly revoked the privileges she once had. And the case was slept under the rug, along with her tears.

Now, years later she was giving her boyfriend's clothes to an android. How ironic.

She heard the bathroom door click open and Connor walked out with his new clothes.

It was...different to see him in anything but his CyberLife jacket. He stood awkwardly there, almost like he was embarrassed at his new appearance. It was a breath of fresh air and a rude awakening of just how human he could look. She had to admit...he looked pretty cute.

"I'm glad it fits you perfectly. I didn't know if it would," she smiles at him.

"It's not my usual attire, but I needed to wear something that would let me blend in, whether I'm mistaken as a deviant, or a human," he says very blandly.

"Do you like it?" She wonders.

He looks down at himself and thinks carefully about his answer.

"My opinion on whether I like it or not, doesn't matter," he puts it simply.

She slightly frowns at his answer, and her eyebrows furrow in sadness. His LED shifts color.

"But, if I were a real person, this style of clothing is...nice," he says deliberately.

She gives him half a smile at his attempt to not her hurt feelings. It was clear he was not sincere, but it was good enough for her.

"Although you are missing one very important thing," she says while looking back into the box.

"What is it?" He questions, he thought he had everything planned out.

She tries and hide something within her hand, and walks up right in front of him. He's tall. Much taller than her and she has to slightly lean her head back and get on her tip toes to reach the top of his head. Everything inside of him whirrs, and his thirium pump beats a little faster than usual.

Suddenly, a warmth envelopes his head, and he looks up. A beanie. A beanie lowered enough that it hides his LED, and she smiles at his new accessory.

"There, now you're really in disguise," she says proudly.

His eyes blink rapidly and he looks confused at what he just experienced. Was it a hiccup in his programming? Did his pump need to be checked out? His pump would only accelerate to those speeds when he was in the middle of combat, or chasing after a deviant. But in the presence of her? He didn't quite understand why.

"Connor...what will you do once you get to Jericho? Are you really gonna kill their leader?" The mood suddenly turning somber.

"I have to finish this mission, no matter what," He reaffirms.

"B-but, you'll be killed if they find you, Connor. Even if you manage to kill him, they'll find you and kill you back," she raises her voice in worry.

"Then that means I accomplished the mission. The mission is above all else, even me," he's straightforward.

"Bullshit!" She pushes him back in anger.

Connor looks back at her stunned.

"This is more than just a mission, Connor! This is about the future of humans and androids. You're decisions aren't only about you! If you kill their leader who knows how they'll act! They might get violent and decide to fight back. What if they kill me and Hank?! Would that bother you, Connor? Would you even care if we died?!" She screams at him.

Underneath his beanie, his LED goes wild and flashes an intense red at the prospect of either her or Hank dying. He tries to open his mouth and say something, but he's actually speechless, because in reality he doesn't know what to say. His programming comes to a blank, and so does he.

"Please, Connor...at least consider it. The world could have a bright future if you just let it. You don't have to die for a cause that doesn't believe in you. But Hank and I...we believe in you. And we'll support you in your decisions," she tells him gently.

She doesn't look him in the eye and grasps onto his jacket. "But, please...come back. We need you," she looks at him with bright eyes that waver, "I need you," She confesses to him.

He's stunned. Actually in shock, like all his biocomponents froze from the inside and he could no longer move, yet at the same time he felt...warm. A strange combination of temperatures, almost akin to a fever. It felt somewhat nice.

"I'll try," he finally says. A lame excuse to his true feelings, but he just didn't have the capacity to express them.

"Then, go. I'll be watching the news with Hank once he gets here. If there's anything...then contact us, alright?"

He nods and he steps outside to face the cold night ahead of him. She watches him as his figure disappears in the distance and every step he took, her fear only escalated. For Connor, every step he took he wished he could take them back, and go right back into her arms.


	12. 12

The blaring, breaking news coming from the tv drowned her entire home with its sense of urgency, and fear coming from the reporter. An attack had been ordered on Jericho. Helicopters and drones swarmed the ship, shining intense lights on the scene, scouring and finding every last android on it . Soldiers could be seen breaking down doors and shooting anything that moved in the place. It wasn't an attack...it looked like a goddamn massacre.

She and Hank stayed silent throughout the whole thing, watching as androids poured out of the ship, running away in all directions, fearing for their lives. And the soldiers were absolutely merciless. The bodies were scattered about, blue blood spilled everywhere. In what world was this just?

And to make matters worse, what happened next made her weak in the knees. Jericho exploded. Actually burst into flames. Thousands of androids fell into the water as the blast set the entire ship into flame, it was terrifying sight.

"Holy shit..." Hank breathed out.

"This is inhumane...this isn't right," Margaret choked out.

She buried her face in her hands as the news kept blurting everything happening in real time. Her heart sank as she thought about every worse possibility she think of.

"Hey, look I'm sure Connor's fine, he can take care of himself," Hank pats her back.

"Please...can you just make me some tea, Hank?" She tells him softly. She points a shaking hand at her kitchen, "The machine will make it automatically..."

"Uh, sure, kid," Hank gets up and makes his way to the kitchen.

She still has her head buried in her hands, trying to ignore the invading thoughts and treacherous emotions get the best of her. She dug her palms into her eyes to prevent any tears from falling out. But it was no use, now her hand became wet from her tears, and the tremble from her body could not longer be held back.

Hank placed the tea in front of her with a quiet clink and sat next to her once again.

"Look, I'm not good at comforting others, but uh, I think everything will work out. Bad things are bound to happen, but there's usually something good that comes out of it," he says in such a father-like way.

She finally looks up at him with puffy and bloodshot eyes, "Y-You think so?" She falters in her words.

"People all over the city are watching this. Not everyone hates androids. They keep seeing the shit they're doing, they'll eventually realize this ain't right."

She reaches over to her tea cup and relishes in the warmth enveloping her hand. She takes a small sip and smiles at Hank. "Thank you for the tea. It tastes wonderful."

Hank returns her smile with an awkward one and nods. "Yeah, I just kinda punched in whatever looked right. I don't know much about technology," He sheepishly admits.

"Really? You seem to handle Connor pretty well," she jabs at him.

"Yeah fucking right. I have to stop him before he licks everything in the goddamn crime scene," he jokes back.

She snorts and chuckles at the Lieutenant's frustration. "I suppose that's true. Licking evidence is a strange feature they added to him."

"CyberLife is full of fucking weirdos."

She gives him a side glance and rolls her eyes, "I'll try and pretend I didn't hear that."

"Hey, I ain't lying with that shit!"

The two bickered and talked the rest of the night, trying to forget the tragedy that happened a few minutes ago. It wasn't exactly the standard therapy session, but it made her feel better, and Hank seemed more at ease than recently.

Two sharp quick knocks on the door alerted them. Who could be knocking at this hour when the streets of Detroit were completely bare?

Hank stood up at walked slowly over to the door and opened it with care. At the door stood the person she had been worried about all night.

"Connor..." she whispered in disbelief.

Connor walked in without a word, just a solemn expression on his face and his hands gripped into fists.

"The hell's wrong with you, Connor? You gonna tell what the hell happened back there," Hank said freaked out by Connor's lack of response.

Connor remained tight-lipped and kept his head held down low.

"For fuck's sake, Connor! You've had Margaret worrying all night cause of you. Least you can do is say something!" Hank shouts at Connor.

His head snaps up and his eyes lock on to hers. He takes notice of her worried expression and bloodshot eyes. She had been crying...

"I'm sorry, Hank. A lot has happened tonight. I've noticed many things about myself and everything I've done in the past. The leader, Markus, he made realize it all," he finally says.

"So you saying you're finally deviant?" Hank crosses his arms and gives him a doubtful look.

"I...think I am. I think I always was," he turns to face Margaret, "I just didn't want to admit it."

Margaret smiles weakly at his confession. Finally...he finally understood.

"I was so scared, Connor. I believed in you, but when Hank and I saw Jericho explode... I just assumed the worst," she wrung her hands together, "the thought of never seeing you again...I can't," she shook her head, "I couldn't."

Connor walked over to where Margaret was sitting and sat down close to her. He reach over and slowly grabbed her arm reassuringly. Margaret looked up in surprise at Connor's sudden caring touch.

"I'm sorry, Margaret. For everything I've done. The person I was before, that wasn't me," Connor squeezed her arm to console her, "After this is all over, I'd like to start once again with our friendship. I feel like I owe it to you and Hank," he spills his feelings.

Margaret smiled at him warmly and looked at him with loving eyes. He sounded so sincere and kind. The few moments in which Connor showed emotion, warmed her heart, and made her heart beat just a little bit faster.

"Of course, Connor. We'll start over, and get this through this together," she agreed.

Meanwhile, Hank watched the two of them have a heartfelt conversation, and he couldn't help but smile at the growth from the both of them. To think he couldn't tolerate either of them at the very beginning, but now here he was, watching them as they melted his old man heart.

"I do need to tell you the both of you something , however," Connor interjected in the heartfelt moment.

"What is it?" Margaret asked.

Connor looked at both of them, with a subtle fear in his eyes.

"I need to infiltrate CyberLife," he admits.

"Connor that's-" Hank immediately tries to remove that thought from Connor's head.

"And Margaret needs to come with me," he finishes.


	13. 13

She clipped her and braided her hair up in its usual bun, making sure every loose strand was set back into place. She flattened her white coat and slipped on her heels. She stepped back and felt only sadness when she saw the attire she wore. It was perfect in every way. Some would say she looked beautiful the way she looked. But this wasn't her, not anymore, and she wished she could rip the CyberLife logo right off of her clothes. But she had to do this for the final mission, for the greater good.

She walked out of her room to see Hank and Connor already waiting for her in the living room. Connor had changed back to his CyberLife jacket, something she was so used to seeing, but now she absolutely hated it.

"This shit's insane, you guys are gonna get yourselves killed!" Hank shouted.

"We have to convert all those androids in the warehouse or Markus won't have a chance. He needs the numbers," Connor responded.

"And if I don't go back with Margaret, they'll immediately suspect something's up...we don't have a choice."

Hank ran his fingers through his hair and paced back and forth, "Goddamn it..."

"Connor and I will devise a plan along the way. We'll be fine, Hank," Margaret tried to comfort him.

"If any of those CyberLife soldiers looks at you funny, you contact me right away, got it?" Hank pointed at her.

She nodded, "Got it."

The two got into the taxi, looking at Hank one last time before the windows shut close and left them in the dark.

The plan was they would have to get to the bottom floor of CyberLife, where a large storage of androids were held. Connor would attack the soldiers and she would pretend to get knocked out as well. The second to last floor is where she got off, the research level. That's where she'd retrieve her files and anything that would be of use. Meanwhile, Connor would be at the bottom floor converting all the androids, and then when they were both done, they'd escape through the warehouse door. It was a simple plan, but anything could go wrong. They were risking everything for this.

"You see any sign of danger and you run away, do you understand?" Connor said as they finally approached CyberLife tower.

"Connor I'm not leaving you to die," she quickly shot his idea down.

"I'm a machine. I can be rebuilt. You'll die. Permanently," every sentence he said harshly.

"Bullshit! CyberLife won't rebuild you, Connor. They'll just tear you apart," her voice cracked.

"My mission is to convert these androids. And to keep you alive," he said without looking at her .

"You die on me and I promise you I'll rebuild you myself and then kick your ass!" she pointed her finger threateningly at him.

She swore she could see a hint of a smile within the darkness. "I don't doubt it."

When they arrived at CyberLife, they were allowed permission without much trouble. She and Connor were requested on one of the first floors, but there destination was in the opposite direction.

Two soldiers stood with them in the elevator, fully armed and protected with armor. The elevator slowly crawled its way up. Connor eyed the numbers continue to escalate and then gave a small nod to Margaret, a signal that he was ready to attack.

In a second, Connor pounced on both of the soldiers, punching, kicking, and using the small space within his advantage. He shot one of the soldiers dead, a second shot rang out, and then she felt strong hands grip her by her coat. Connor was dangerously close to her face, but his cold expression showed his intentions were the least bit amorous, and he flung her against the elevator walls.

A third shot rang through the elevator, he had shot the cameras watching him. They had clearly seen what he had done, but at least they wouldn't see her.

The elevator closed in to her destination and she scrambled to get her footing. The elevator door opened and she was greeted to her familiar environment.

"Be careful, Connor..." she managed to say, although it was not much assurance.

He simply nodded as the doors closed in front of him and he descended to the floor below.

She walked quickly to her office, grateful that tonight was a slow night, and the floor was relatively quiet for the most part. She placed her hand on the scanner and shut the door behind her.

She was greeted with the stale, plain office she had worked in for years. There was an eerie silence that blanked the whole room. Previously, she would have considered it a peaceful silence, but now the lack of any noise stressed her out even more.

She punched in her pin and scoured through her files as quickly as she could. In her hand she gripped the USB tightly where she would transfer everything she needed. All her research, the files Kamski had promised her, and the first few files she had on record of the one of the first cases of deviancy. If CyberLife tried to pretend they had no idea deviants had emotions, then she had all the proof right there.

Two sharp knocks rapt on her door. She felt her blood run cold. She slowly edged her way towards the door, hoping it was simply a coworker, or just a routine visit. She slowly opened her office door and was greeted with a face she didn't expect.

"Connor?" Margaret stared at him bewildered. "W-what are you doing here?" she stammered.

"I came to see if you were doing ok," he responded lamely.

"What about the androids? Aren't you supposed to be doing something," she whispered a little louder, but not enough to cause alarm.

"They will be dealt with soon enough. But my first priority is you."

"What the hell are you-" she opened her eyes wide and slowly backed away from him. "You're not Connor," she said in sudden realization.

"You're very clever, Doctor Margaret," the imposter raised a gun at her, "I'm not."

"You don't have to do this, Connor," she raised her hands in innocence, "You don't have to obey CyberLife," she pleaded.

"My mission was to eliminate you. CyberLife has become aware of your traitorous actions. As such, you're a liability and a serious threat to this company. I must do this," he approachable even closer.

"You have his memories don't you? You remember me...you remember Hank too."

"My predecessors memories are not important, nor his relationships with others. I have my own mission," he remains steadfast.

"Mission? What will killing me do in the grand scheme? There are deviants rallying in the plaza and you want to kill me to end them? What is the point?!" she says realistically.

He stops for a second and he processes the statistics and probability of what she said. "Your death would raise the chance of ending these deviants by only 0.01% percent," he says calculated.

"See! And tell me, do you really think they'll keep you after this mission? An RK900 is already in the works. CyberLife loves to think ahead. You'll be decommissioned. And your mission would be over," she informs him.

His LED flashes yellow. "But, I've only just been made. I haven't finished my mission," he protests to himself.

She walks slowly to him with her hands still raised up cautiously.

"Don't you remember our time at my home? When we listened to music all night and we laughed and had a great time," she tells him gently.

"Track 12 was your favorite song," he remembers.

"And your favorite was-"

"Track 7. The instrumental track," he reminisces fondly.

"I know you still have your emotions carried over...so please. Let me go, and I can show you a place that'll take you for who you are," she finally stands in front of him.

"Be free, Connor..." she says one last time as she tries to ease the gun out of his hand.

He stares at the gun in confusion and fear. He's stuck between letting go and finishing his mission. Finally, after some deliberation he let's go of his grip on the gun. She puts the gun aside and tries to steady the newly, struggling Connor.

He looks so beyond conflicted and confused that she was honestly scared he would self-destruct. But after a couple of seconds, he calms himself and the LED turns back to its usual blue.

"Are you...okay?" she asks him.

Connor nods and looks at her and then back at the gun. "I almost hurt you...my apologies, Doctor Margaret. I didn't mean too!" he pleads for her forgiveness.

She motions with her hand to keep his voice low. They were still trying to be stealthy here. "It's fine, Connor. But we need to get back to your predecessor. Right now, he's-"

"My predecessor. I have his memories and his goals. There is one thing, however he has not accomplished," he interrupts.

"W-What would that be?" her voice wavers with worry.

Without warning, she feels two strong arms hug her tightly.

"Connor! W-What are you doing?" she says in a shrill voice.

"My predecessor seems to have struggled to show his true emotions. He could not tell Hank about their friendship. And he could not question his relationship with you. However, I will be better than him and did what he could not."

This new Connor continues to squeeze her tightly, normally she'd call a hug, but this felt more like she was trying to squeeze the life out of her. Even though this wasn't her Connor, her face grew warm and her heart beat a little faster than before. She didn't know if it was because she was afraid of him or something else.

"Let her go...now!" a gruff voice came from outside her door.

She peeked over Connor's shoulder and saw Hank with his gun pointed right at Connor's back. Any move the android would make would mean a bullet right through him.

"Hank wait! It's alright, he's deviant now!" she tells him quickly.

"You sure, Margaret? I already had one of these bastards sent after me," he questioned her.

"What?!" Margaret pushes Connor off of her. "There was another Connor sent after Hank? And you didn't tell me?!" she shouts angrily at him.

"I didn't expect for this turn of events to occur. My apologies, Doctor Margaret, I should have told you right away," he says in a quiet voice.

She wishes she could keep scolding the android, but he looked disappointed in himself, and was hurt by Margaret's response. She sighed to herself. Goddamn it why did he have to look like that?

"It's fine, Connor. Let's just go and see if we can help your predecessor in any way we can," she quickly forgives him.

She unplugs the usb and locks the door behind her, giving it one last look before she closes the door behind her. She closed the door on her work and her old life behind her.

As the two walked back into the elevator, Hank gave Margaret a light jab at her side. "You're quite the Connor magnet, huh?" he chuckles.

"Not a word, old man," she says through gritted teeth.

Connor simply looks at them and slightly tilts his head in confusion.

In what seems like the longest elevator descend of her life, the elevator door finally opens to reveal Connor's work. Hundreds, maybe thousands of androids converting one another, awakening from their programming were all ready to march towards the Detroit plaza.

House keepers, cooks, doctors, laborers, thousands of androids programmed for different tasks, combined for one common goal: their freedom.

Connor walked towards them, eyeing the other Connor model with a strange look in his eye. This imposter model seemed attached to her hip. He was standing so close to her, invading her personal bubble he seemed more like a lost puppy than an android designed to kill.

"Hey, Connor, I managed to find Margaret and uh...another you with her," Hank scratched his head at the doubles.

"How do you know it's not lying?" Connor narrowed his eyes at his other self.

"Doctor Margaret awoke me from my programming. I don't want to harm anyone. I just want to make sure she and Hank are safe," the fake Connor tried to convince his predecessor.

"You want to know where Jericho is, don't you?"

The other Connor nodded. "Yes...I'm still confused about these new emotions. Doctor Margaret said they can help me there," he answered truthfully.

Hank looked between the two, "So, Connor, what's the verdict on this guy?"

Connor continued his intense stare on his other self. "He's telling the truth."

Connor reached out to his other self and grabbed his arm. The two connected for a few seconds, their LED's flashing, indicating an exchange of information.

"Go to Jericho. Once this is over, Markus will be able to help you."

The other Connor nodded and turned to face Margaret. He stood close to her once more and asked, "Will I be able to see you once again?"

"I...yes, you can come and visit me if you'd like," she reluctantly agreed.

In an uncharacteristic move, the other Connor grabbed her hands and held them between his own. Her breath hitched at this Connor's affection. Her original Connor struggled so much to show emotion, but this Connor seemed to have defected much quicker. Perhaps his first experience was so emotional, he just accepted it much easier.

"Take care of yourself, Connor," she pats his hand affectionately.

He let's go of her hand and walks past the original Connor and joins the other androids in their escape. One thing Margaret didn't notice throughout the engagement was Connor's flashes of yellow as he watched the imposter grabbing Margaret's hands so freely.

"The androids are all marching towards the plaza. This will help Markus in his revolution," Connor said.

"What will you do?" Hank pointed his chin at Connor.

"I will lead them to Markus. I'll march them all the way. And the both of you will return back home."

"What? And leave you alone? What if the soldiers mow you and the androids down, Connor!" Margaret says in distress.

"Exactly. This is an android revolution. Humans like you two shouldn't be there," Connor puts it simply.

"But-"

Hank calms her down and places his hand on her shoulder. "He's right, Margaret. It's too dangerous for us. Plus, this is their battle, not ours," he agrees with Connor.

Margaret slumps her shoulders in defeat and looks at Connor as she struggled between the truth and what she wants to do.

"I'll be fine, Margaret. I'll come back when it's all over. When have I ever failed to come back," Connor attempts to calm her nerves.

"I-I know. It's just-" she shakes and clenches her first, "Damn it, Connor. You better come back," she rushes into Connor's arms and hugs him tightly.

Connor stays with his arms tight at his side, completely frozen and still processing what had just happened. Hank gives him look to hug her back. And finally his arms unstick from his side and his arms wrap around her back and he hugs her back. It's awkward and probably longer than it should be, but it was one of the best feelings he had experienced. Ever since he became a deviant he had only experienced fear and doubt since Jericho, but with her, everything felt better and he finally understood why so many deviants fought for this.

"I need to go," he releases his grip from her.

"I'll tell you where to meet us, Connor. Take your time, we'll be waiting for you," Hank said.

The three left the CyberLife warehouse together, but Connor went his separate way. Seeing those thousands of androids walk together in the streets was like watching history happen right in front of her. She and Hank walked together in the cold to get some rest back home. It had been a long night, but it was a collective battle for Detroit. Never did she think she would find herself fighting for android rights when not too long ago, she didn't believe in the idea of them being alive. But the android who hugged her just a few minutes ago seemed more alive than ever before.


	14. 14

The early day greeted them with chilly air and an empty city. An evacuation had been ordered and had left the place to look like a ghost town. The usual bustling streets and stores were completely barren, and houses were empty without their owners. Only few people had actually stayed in Detroit: androids and dumb people. Fortunately, Margaret and Hank had fit into one of those categories.

They stood in front of the infamous Chicken Feed waiting for Connor to show up. It was unknown if Connor has even gotten the message or if he was even still alive. Last night had ended in victory for the androids, but that didn't mean they all survived unscathed. Hank bugged her all the night to get to the bed instead of being plastered to the TV screen. For hours they argued back and forth until finally she gave up and ended up passing out on Hank's couch.

So now here they were, expecting Connor to show any moment. Hank would never admit it, but he was worried as well. For minutes they waited and waited in the chilly day for him to arrive, but nothing. Margaret fiddled with the buttons of her coat, ignoring the impending dread she felt as the minutes ticked by. She was so immersed in her own thoughts she didn't hear footsteps approaching them.

Finally, the person they had been waiting for arrived a little too late, but not any bit unwanted. Hank and Connor shared a moment, no words needed between them, just a knowing smile, and a hug to seal the deal. It wasn't until she heard Hank patting Connor's back did she finally look up.

It was him. In perfect condition and alive. This was the second time she thought she would never see him again, and this was the second time he proved her wrong.

Hank finally let go of Connor and Connor immediately turned to her and without a single bit of hesitation, he grabbed her and hugged her tightly. She closed her eyes tightly and wrapped her arms around his neck, hoping that this wasn't a dream and that he really was here. His radiating warmth from his chest reminded her that it was.

He reluctantly let go and gave her his most sincere smile, and she couldn't help but laugh in happiness as well. The worst had passed over and the three of them had survived it, as well as changed them for the better.

In the car, Hank suggested they should celebrate for such a special day, in which made Margaret rolled her eyes at him, reminding him that Jimmy's bar was closed.

"I've always got some drinks at home," Hank stated proudly.

"Let's not get completely drunk when most of the hospitals are closed," she advised.

And with a flick of his hand, Hank dismissed her and kept driving on ahead. They arrived back at Hank's home in no time at all, and Hank immediately made his way towards his cabinets where he apparently had the "good shit" as he put it. Sumo greeted Connor with eagerness and licked the poor android from head to toe. She giggled at the scene as Hank poured her a drink and clicked the tv on.

Apparently, Hank's term of "fun" was shouting at the tv while drunk, as his favorite basketball team did poorly.

"That's strange? This isn't Denton Carter's usual performance," Connor butts in.

"Piece of shit doesn't do his job when he wants to," Hank mutters and continues to sip on his drink.

Margaret only took small sips of her drink, she normally didn't drink much, but this was a special occasion.

"What? Can't hold your drink?" Hank raises an eyebrow at her.

"I'm not the drinking type. I just don't like it," she excuses herself.

"Considering your weight to alcohol ratio. I find that you might find yourself more under the influence in fewer drinks than most," Connor reveals rather loudly.

Hank laughs loudly and longer than he needed to. Connor looks in confusion at Margaret's red cheeks and Hank's own amusement about the whole thing. Had he done something wrong?

Hank finally settles down and wipes his eyes from the tears of laughter that had rolled down. Meanwhile, Margaret remained with her arms crossed and her face full of embarrassment.

"Look, Connor, you don't have to analyze everything, alright? Even though that shit was funny, not everything needs to be said out loud," he wags his finger at Connor.

Connor nods, "Got it."

"Sorry, Margaret."

"It's alright, Connor."

The three continued lounging about on the couch the rest of the day as they watched games, the news, and even a couple of movies. Hank had some leftovers from previous food deliveries and normally she would have been grossed out by them, but she had to admit the Chinese food was the absolute best.

Somehow, Hank had made it till the night without passing out once. He changed into more comfortable clothes when he suggested that she and Connor should do the same.

"Here," he threw some clothes at the both of them, "Get that CyberLife shit off of you. I don't want to see that crap again."

Margaret head into the bathroom and changed into the strange attire that Hank had given her. It was an old metal band tank top, and some shorts that went a little bit past her knees. She looked at herself in the mirror and snorted at her own appearance. The rocker type of look was completely different from her own, but it didn't look entirely bad.

She walked out in bare feet where Hank looked at her in approval.

"Hey, doesn't fit too bad, right?"

"It's a big baggy, but it does it's job," she smiles.

Another click from the hallway made them turn around to see a strange sight. Hank had given Connor a similar set of clothes. An equally as old rocker tee, and some sweat pants. If she thought seeing Connor in her boyfriend's clothes was weird, this was even stranger.

Connor walked forward awkwardly, like a kid trying out an ugly Christmas sweater that their parents had given them. He was unsure and embarrassed? Either way, she couldn't help but giggle as his expression and his clothing.

"Oh come on, Connor it doesn't look that bad on you," Hank tried to cheer him up.

"Maybe my jacket was a better substitute than these clothes," he stretches the tee away from him.

"You'll get used to it, you don't have to dress like a goddamn machine anymore," Hank reminds him.

"I don't. But I don't know if this is a direct improvement," Connor says truthfully.

Margaret continued to giggle as the two bickered back and forth like father and son discussing with one another. Ever since Connor became a deviant, he had become cheeky with his responses. He always had hints of that poking through, but now he really let go and said what he wanted, even if it was a tad bit embarrassing at times.

The three of them continued watching movies that Hank suggested were "good." Most of them were cheesy action movies, and the typical buddy cop movies as well. She would groan at the one-liners and the predictable plots of the movies, but Connor seemed to be completely immersed in them, especially the buddy cop movies. Of course the android that had never seen a movie would find these movies to be good. It was like every movie they saw became Connor's new favorite.

Finally, after the third movie of the night, Hank passed out on the couch with his loud snoring and drink still in hand. Connor didn't look the least bit bored and was actually leaning in closer to the tv and focused on every bit of evidence the cops were finding out.

"There's no way the man could have murdered that woman. All evidence points otherwise. Clearly it was an inside job," Connor points out.

"Most people wouldn't connect those dots, Connor," she responds.

"But it's right there. How could they not know? Are they certified for their job?" he asks innocently.

"Who knows? Maybe they're just bad cops," she plays along.

"Hank and I wouldn't make a mistake like that," he says seriously.

She smiles at him and takes a final sip of her drink, "You're right. You guys wouldn't," she agrees.

He looks at her as she takes her final sips and places the cup on the messy table of food and drinks.

"I suggest you stop drinking. Anymore and you might get sick," he takes notice of her slurred speech and delayed movements.

She nods slowly and leans back against the couch and closes her eyes, the drinks finally hitting her all at once. She peeks at him with one eye and asks, "How are you feeling, Connor?"

"What do you-"

"You haven't said anything since you helped, Markus," she beats him to it.

He clasps his hands and looks down at his feet. She always seemed to know when something was wrong with him.

"Confused and...I don't know what to do next," he says with some deliberation.

"What do you mean?"

"I was programmed with one thing in mind. But I had a goal and a purpose. Now...I'm unsure of what to do. I don't have a purpose anymore," he tightened his grip on his clasped hands and continued to stare down.

"So...you don't know what to do with your life anymore? Is that it?"

He looks up at her in surprise and blinks, "Yes. I think that's it."

She sighs and looks up at the ceiling in thought. "You're having an existential crisis, Connor. It's not something uncommon for humans to feel too, I think most people question their lives at some point."

"And...what do they do?"

She shrugs," Many turn to religion. Some focus on their job or education. Some live for their families and children. And some just live to live," she admits.

"But those are humans who have experienced the world. I haven't."

She glances at him and smiles at him," Well, that's what we're here for, Connor. You don't have to do just investigative work. You can..." She strums her finger against her mouth, "You can learn how to cook...or paint. Maybe go out running or listen to music or," she points her chin at the tv, "Watch movies and shows."

"But I'm not programmed-"

"Connor," she places her hand on his knee, "Humans aren't programmed with any skills or interests when they're born. It's the beauty of learning and experiencing life. There's so much to do, it's limitless, that's what makes life so precious. I know it's a hard concept for you. But don't think about it too much, and just try to enjoy your new life," she squeezes his knee once more.

It takes some time for him to actually grasp her words and the complexity of them. Life seemed so difficult and confusing, even his protocols and programming didn't prepare him for this. But he eventually looks up at Margaret's face and nods.

"I'll take your advice, Margaret. Thank you," he almost puts his hands on top of hers, but quickly retreats back.

Margaret doesn't take notice of this and let's go of him. She watches the screen with tired eyes and yawns.

"Are you gonna keep watching, Connor?" stretches and makes herself comfortable.

"Yes, I believe they're getting close to cracking the case," he leans forward once more.

She grins and closes her eyes and lays back on the couch.

Connor is left alone as Hank and Margaret slept away and Sumo snored happily at his feet. Towards the end of the movie he feels something warm lean against his shoulder. He sees that Margaret had slid her way over to him, and was now resting peacefully on his shoulder. She looked exactly like when she fell asleep on their way back from Kamski's. She was pretty and that was undeniable to him. He brushed away a stray hair from her mouth and left her where she was. A few minutes later, he felt something else lean against him, and this time it was Hank. The man had slobber coming from his mouth, wetting Connor's tee, but it didn't bother him in the slightest.

The movie ended and the room turned dark as the credits rolled. He was stuck in the middle of the two most important people in his life, and they were snuggling and slobbering on top of him. For the first time, Connor truly felt alive. An amazing, heavy feeling grew in his chest, one that was indescribable and a little frightening to be honest. But as Margaret said, just let it happen. So Connor did. And he closed his eyes and went into a dormant state where he dreamt for the first time about all the things he wanted to do in his new life.


	15. 15

The evacuation had effectively done just that. Two weeks had already passed since the issue had been ordered and still the city was relatively empty. Many people were still scared of these new androids. No official laws had been made from the government, and CyberLife was at a standstill. All that was known was that any aggression taken towards androids were considered serious offenses. So people just straight up left to Canada, moved away, or were still waiting for the government's final rulings on the androids.

Some restaurants had opened, a couple of bars, and gas stations, the essentials for those who had returned. But Detroit was not the same as before and everyone could see that.

Hank had advised Margaret to stay at his home till normality was restored. With not many people around and CyberLife still a threat, it was safer at his house. But now her and Connor were at a limbo on what to do. They had been taken off of the cases and no longer worked for CyberLife, so they had no reason to be at the police station. The detective side of work was relatively slow considering there was no one around to even question, so Hank would go to work and just do reports. And everyday Connor just stayed at the house looking like a kid who had just been grounded because he couldn't go along with Hank. So while he was saddened from lack of any work, it was a perfect time for him to experience new things.

She made several calls to a couple of restaurants around town and decided to order an assortment of different foods to be delivered to Hank's home. She paced back and forth talking on the phone with the restaurants as Connor watched her go left and right, eyeing her with interest.

An hour later of receiving food, she set it all down on Hank's kitchen table. Connor stared at all the food curiously.

"Margaret, our celebration was two weeks ago. Wouldn't this amount of food be more appropriate for that occasion?" He tilted his head at her.

"It's true, but Hank's outta food, so we need something fresh. Plus, I want you to try some of this."

"You know I can't really eat right?" Connor gently reminded her.

"Well you can consume foods in very small portions. The thirium in your body will break down, although it's not recommended. But I think this is an exception," she smiles.

Connor looked over at all the foods with curiosity, unable to keep his eyes on just one item. Eventually, he carefully picked up a piece of chicken from a Chinese container and placed it on a plate. She nudged him and nodded in encouragement to take a bite.

He stabbed the chicken with the fork and slowly brought the food to his lips, where he took the smallest nibble possible. For such a small piece of food he chewed it for some time, meanwhile making an array of different faces whilst doing so.

First, he seemed confused, then he raised his eyebrows in shock, and finally, he gave a small smile.

"I think I...like it," he finally says.

She laughs at his insecurity about food, but she loved the idea of him trying one of humanity's favorite pastimes: eating.

She picked up several food items for him and placed it on both of their plates, Connor eagerly eyeing each and every one.

"The food smells...appealing," he says.

"I know. I'm absolutely starving," she says eyeing the pizza box.

"Now this is a classic, Connor. Most humans love pizza," she picks up a slice for herself.

He picks up the pizza and takes a small bite from the very tip, extending the cheese and creating a cheesy trail. She laughs as he stares awkwardly, not knowing what to do with all the excess cheese. He pulls the string away and pops it back to his mouth. He stares back at her and she motions him to tell her what he thinks.

He thinks for some time for the answer. He could get with easy route and answer what the pizza's chemical compound was, but humans usually don't describe foods like that.

"I can see why humans find these foods to be addicting," he says. "I believe I found my favorite food," he says with pride.

She rolls her eyes and chuckles at Connor's answer. It seemed like whatever was new to him became his favorite. Small bite after small bite, Connor ended up trying everything she had ordered. Every new food was a new favorite. He couldn't make up his mind and he ended up making a mental list of which were his favorites. She watched him with tenderness in her eyes as he rambled on about flavors and how he never thought about activating his taste sensors.

The front of the door clicked open and Hank walked in with his usual grumpy face and stopped mid-walk when he saw the pile of food on his kitchen table.

"What the hell's all this food?" He opened his arms wide open in surprise.

Margaret chuckled nervously, "Well, since Connor's learning about human things, I thought trying out food is some of the simplest things he could do."

"But did you have to buy out half of Detroit's goddamn food supply?"

"Well Hank, I'm sorry I don't want to keep eating your 2 week old leftovers!" She put her hands on her hips.

Hank cursed under his breath and grumbled, "Did you at least get something for me?"

She sighed, "Yeah, got you your favorite," she handed him a container.

Hank sat down and gobbled down on his food. "So...Connor, what's your verdict on eating?" He said while chewing.

"The idea of eating is...foreign to me since I have no need to eat. I've never used my taste sensors since I mainly analyze, but..." he glances at all the delicious food and smiles, "But the food is rather pleasant."

Hank nods and eyes Margaret, "I thought you were a healthy eater? The hell happened?"

She shrug and picked at some of the food on her plate. "I decided to try something different too. Too much of the same thing is boring. I guess we're all changing little by little," she smiles warmly at Connor.

"Aw, shit. Calm down with that lovey dovey crap," Hank winces and moves to the couch instead.

Margaret shakes her head at Hank's dramatics and reaches over to grab a fortune cookie for her and Connor.

"Here, Connor, open this," she places a cookie in his hand.

"What's this?" He questions.

"It's a fortune cookie. You crack it open and read the fortune inside, it can tell your future or give advice."

He inspects the fortune cookie and eyes it suspiciously, "Is this small piece of paper really capable of telling my future? That seems implausible, only special androids are capable of that."

"You believe what you want to believe. But many people take it quite seriously."

She cracks open the cookie and quickly stuffs the cookie in her mouth and reads her fortune and smiles to herself and quickly pockets it in her back pocket. She watches as Connor reads his. He keeps reading the small paper over and over again, like he was analyzing every word of it.

"You ok, Connor?" She arches a brow at him.

"I...yes. I think I understand what it means perfectly," he finally answers and pockets it as well.

"Hey, you too! The game just started!" Hank calls them over from the couch.

"Alright, Hank. Time to watch your team lose again," she teases him.

"Hey! Don't jinx it!" He yells back at her.

She chuckles and walks over to plop on the couch. Meanwhile, Connor remains at the kitchen table and continues to ponder at the fortune. He glances at Margaret and unpockets the fortune.

Love is around the corner.

He smiles and walks over to the couch where Hank proceeds to shout at his team for the next hour.


	16. 16

Margaret walked alongside Connor as the two walked Sumo out for his daily walk. The park was mainly empty considering how cold it was, but Sumo was always insistent and he wanted his walk. With Hank doing his job at the station, the two were left with the task. But Connor always seemed happier than usual when he did anything with Sumo. He would sometimes feed him, pour his water, or just pet him. As Connor continued to deal with his deviancy, he became more open with his likes and dislikes, and Sumo was one of the things he liked.

Sumo walked around lazily, rolling in the snow and digging up small holes around the park. The big dog mostly just sleeps and eats, the most energy he spent was on his walks, and even then they weren't the most impressive show of display from him.

Margaret never had a pet before, but Sumo was cute enough that she was considering getting a dog herself. Of course, everything would have to get back in order before she did that.

Her and Connor sat down on a bench and watched Sumo have his own little fun, Connor watched Sumo with an amused expression on his face.

"Do you like Sumo, Connor?" Margaret asked him.

Connor blinked out of his trance and looked at her, "Yes. I'm not sure why I feel a connection to him, but I like caring for Sumo. He feels...important?"

Margaret watches Sumo and smiles, "He is very cute, I won't deny it. It's why they call dogs a man's best friend. They love you unconditionally."

"Love...unconditionally?" Connor murmurs quietly to himself.

"Hmm? Did you say something, Connor?"

Connor fidgets in his seat and looks down at his clasped hands. "Margaret, do you care for me like you care for Sumo?" He asks innocently.

She chuckles softly," Of course I care about, Connor. I care about you, Hank, Sumo...Why would you ask that?"

Connor's LED flashes quickly from blue to yellow and Margaret became worried. Had she said something wrong?

"So your affection to Sumo is equivalent to your affection to me?"

Margaret feels her stomach drop, "No!"

Connor quickly turns his head towards her.

She gulps, "Connor...what I feel for you is much deeper, much more complex. At the end of the day, Sumo is just a pet, but you're...you. A person," she tries to fix her mistake.

"So you consider us friends?"

"Of course, Connor," she ducks her head down in embarrassment, "Do you? I've never really asked, I've just assumed..."

"No."

Margaret felt like she could faint. She couldn't speak a word, her hands tightening around the bench's wood beneath her.

"Oh...I thought," she squeaks out.

"What I feel for you is incomprehensible. I find myself in a struggle to understand what you mean to me," Connor blurts out.

Margaret whips her head up to look at Connor, who continues to refuse to look her in the eye.

"Connor, what do you mean?"

"My programming sets certain titles and roles for the people I encounter. Hank is my partner and my...friend. Sumo is a companion, and I enjoy taking care of him. You, however," he finally looks her straight in the eye, "Are beyond my programming."

Margaret feels herself burning up and her heart races at Connor's words. Connor thought she was more than all those things, but he couldn't put it into words. Of course, she had been stupid all along. He's so new to these emotions, he doesn't understand that they're beyond his programming. He always searched for programs and protocols when he was at a lost for something, but they wouldn't put something like this for him. He didn't know.

She let out a big breath of air and leaned back into the bench, covering her eyes. Damn it, this was gonna be complicated.

Connor watched her with worry as she struggled to say the right words. For sometime the two stayed in the silence of the park, with Connor's confession hanging by an awkward thread. Finally, Margaret stood up straight once more.

"Connor, what you feel for me is more than friendship? Is that what you believe?" she says slowly.

Connor nods in affirmation.

"Connor, I believe you've grown affectionate. It's a normal human emotion when someone likes being near the other and spending time, and considers them more than just a friend," she tries to inform.

Connor looks at her in confusion, "But I'm not an android for companionship, these feelings are not in my programming..." he ponders.

"Connor...I know you're still struggling with these emotions, but the whole point of deviancy is you aren't just made for what you were designed for. Unless, detective androids are made for walking dogs?" she raises an eyebrow at him.

"Of course not. But I think I understand what you mean. However, as I said I'm not equipped or know any protocols on such things. How will I ever- "

"Connor, calm down we can work this out," Margaret reaches to touch his hand.

For the first time, Connor feels her warm hand touch his, and it's just like that moment when she first hugged him. An exhilarating reaction from every biocomponent within him, but her touch somehow felt more intimate, more meaningful, and he pulls away quickly.

She stares at him in shock from his sudden reaction. His LED is blinking rapidly, and his thirium pump running much faster than recommended for the current environment. It's too much for him, and he just can't handle it right now.

"My apologies, Margaret. I didn't expect for that to happen," He stammers out.

She shakes her head, "I'm so sorry, Connor. I shouldn't have done that. I should have asked for permission first, I didn't mean to," she says with regret in her voice.

"It's alright," he reassures her, "My systems will return to their normal function soon enough."

Margaret gulps and looks away in disappointment, "We should head back to the house. I think Sumo is done for today," she says in a low voice.

Connor agrees with her statement and calls Sumo over and attaches the leash around his collar. The walk back home is unusually quiet than the ones before.

Nightfall comes and Hank is back home. Connor and Margaret continue in their silence, although Hank doesn't notice it. Hank drinks a beer before heading the bed, and Margaret decides that she'd sleep on the couch tonight.

It's 4:00 am when she hears the door creak open. Her eyes flutter at the sound and she strains her eyes to see who the perpetrator was. Before she jumps out at the intruder, she notices the blue light near the stranger's temple and she relaxes when she realizes it was simply Connor.

"Connor?" she whispers out to him from the dark.

Connor's figure stops suddenly and he slowly turns to face her, like he's been caught committing a crime. From the darkness she can barely make it out but she's recognizes the clothes he's wearing. It's her boyfriend's old clothes that she had let him borrow back when he infiltrated Jericho.

"Connor, what are you doing out so late dressed like that?" she questioned him.

"I...cant say."

"Connor," she says once more in a sharper tone.

He sits down next to her in defeat, the cold from outside still clinging to him. His body language is something akin to a person who's ashamed or embarrassed. She gives him his space and gives him the time for him to speak.

"I was...visiting Markus and the others," he says so quietly she can hardly pick it up.

"The deviant leader?"

He nods and searches her face, awaiting her angry response, but it never comes.

"Connor, why would be ashamed of that?"

"Because it goes against everything I've ever known!" he says loudly.

His shout reverberates throughout the house, and she half expects Hank to come out of his room wondering what the hell the whole commotion was about. But the house remains in its peaceful silence.

"The only thing I've ever know catching deviants, and putting a stop to them. But now I'm one of them, and I'm helping the leader of them," Connor's LED shines a bright red in the darkness, and she observes as his fists clench and release continuously.

She knew that Connor was struggling, but she didn't know it was this deep...But he was right. His entire life was made to stop deviants, his only purpose. And now he was aiding them and was one himself.

"Everything is telling me this is an error in my software and that I should return to CyberLife for deactivation. Every time I spend time with you and Hank and I enjoy my time, my software warns me about my instability. And I want to listen...but deep down I don't want to."

She feels empathetic to his feelings. People feel guilt when they do something wrong, but people learn how to forgive and forget. But when you're constantly told that you're wrong and somethings wrong with you, any sane person would snap.

"Connor...I had no idea you were going through this," her voice wavers, "I wish I could help you somehow," she lowers her gaze.

Connor's hand slowly creeps his way over to hers and his pinky touches hers. Her eyes follow his hand, where he stays put. The simple touch is enough for her heart to flutter and for a smile to form on her face.

Connor closes his eyes for a moment to steady himself and he opens his eyes once more and smiles back at her.

"You've helped me enough, Margaret. However..." he trails off.

Margaret leans forward , "However what?"

"Markus is still dealing with the government and what they plan to do. Meanwhile, many deviants are awakening, and many are as confused as I am. They need help, Margaret."

Margaret frowns, "What are you trying to say Connor?"

"I want you to come along with me the next time I visit Markus."


	17. 17

The next day, just as Connor had asked of her, they headed to where Markus and the other deviants were occupying. From what Connor had told her, many of the androids were in an old abandoned church, and some of the others were in shelters around the city. They were awaiting the government's decision on their status as new life forms. She couldn't imagine what it must feel to be at that very edge of machine and human. She had doubted androids at first, but the investigation opened her eyes and revealed their humanity. A CyberLife employee that would prevent deviancy, is now meeting the leader of them, how ironic.

The church they entered was a makeshift home for all the androids. Despite the commotion and bustle of the place, it still held an air of peace. Maybe the sacred ground still held its aura of tranquility.

Margaret saw Markus from a distance, and every step closer to him made her heart race. To think that her entire job was just to stop him, that CyberLife asked for his destruction, and now she was standing before him...could things be anymore awkward?

Markus turned around with a gentle smile on his face. "Connor, it's good to see you."

Connor nodded politely. "This is Doctor Margaret. She's the CyberLife researcher I mentioned before," he gestures to her.

"It's nice to meet you, Markus. I've seen you a lot on the news," she says with her gaze averted.

Markus notices her discomfort and places a reassuring hand on her shoulder, " There's no need for you to be uncomfortable with us. You've helped Connor and have been sympathetic towards my people. This is a safe haven for them, but it's doors are welcome to you as well."

Margaret let's out a sigh of relief and relaxes her posture. Markus was the perfect model of a leader. He was kind, convincing, and charismatic. He made her feel like everything was alright. It was almost like he was made for this.

"My people are still waiting for the government's decision. Their fate lies in humans hands. Meanwhile, many of them are still damaged both physically and mentally," Markus turns his back to them with his hands crossed, "So many are still traumatized from their experiences and are dealing with these overwhelming emotions. Buts there's too many of them, and I cannot comfort them all."

Markus turns around once more and his eyes search for answers on her face. "I hear from Connor that you dealt with androids and their early stages of deviancy. You know the psychology of them don't you?"

Margaret nods. "Yes, I've observed androids and how they deal with certain situations. Although I've only seen a handful of such severe cases. CyberLife would simply- " she falters in her words and she wrings in her hands in guilt, "they would simply demand they get reset and wiped before it escalated any further."

"I know this might be something unknown for you, but you probably know more about androids than anyone. You can help my people," Markus looks at her with pleading eyes, "they need my help, Doctor Margaret. You can provide some relief from them. You can speak with them and try to help them understand..."

Margaret glances around the church and sees the state of these androids. Most were in ok condition, but many were damaged or looked distressed. She knew that Connor was struggling with his own deviancy, so she imagined that many others were feeling the same as him. If it weren't for the LED's and uniforms, she wouldn't know the difference between man or machine. At the end of the day they were still people who were suffering.

She turned to Markus with a determined look on her face, "I'll do it."

Markus looked satisfied with her answer. "Thank you. I won't forget what you've done for my people. I'll send some of them your way," and he walked away to find the androids in need.

Margaret sat down by a nearby church pew and fiddled with her coat nervously. She was never nervous about her work and she trusted in her own experience, but this was something entirely knew to her. She never really treated androids as...humans back in CyberLife, so to suddenly change that and treat them like actual patients? She hated how hard it was for her, to think they possessed the same humanity as her.

As she berated herself in her own head, Connor sat down alongside with her. He frowned at Margaret's demeanor, he didn't like seeing her like this, he wanted her to smile again.

"If it's to any assurance, you have a high success rate when dealing with these androids," Connor made an attempt to make her feel better.

Margaret let out a small, quick smile, "I suppose that does help a bit. But there's always a chance otherwise."

"That's true. But you've already helped with androids like these before."

Margaret looks at him strangely. "Connor, I've never worked with deviants at this stage," she tells him again.

"Really? I believe you've given me many lessons on my own humanity. Treat them as you would with me," he advises.

Margaret shakes her head in disbelief and laughs quietly. "You're right, Connor," she looks at him lovingly, "you're absolutely right."

Connor smiles back and the two wait peacefully until Markus returns with a few deviants in tow. Connor gets up to let Margaret work in peace. She gives him a final worried look as he walks away.

Connor and Markus discuss their own issues. Markus was worried about the talks happening with the humans and the fate of his people. He was worried about CyberLife and their endless fight to stop them. He was worried about laws, jobs, reproducing more androids, and the pile of worries continued. Connor listened attentively to his words, while also maintaining an eye on Margaret at all times.

He noticed that she seemed shy and reserved at first with the first android, and the android was equally as reserved with her. But as they began to talk and Margaret kept trying to persuade the android to open to her, both her and android became more relaxed with one another. She seemed so caring, listening to the androids grievances like a mother would to their children. It was the same kindness she gave to him, but it was different type of love.

Markus noticed Connor's distraction and the look on Connor's expression. It was the same type of look that North would give him. One of love. Markus smiled to himself. The poor android was struggling with his first love and he didn't know what to do. Markus could have connected with Connor to help him out, but Connor was smart, he'd get it eventually. And the experience of love was one that needed to be experienced firsthand, not from memories.

Finally, after two hours of giving therapy sessions to the androids, Margaret got up from the pew and stretched her tired bones and slumped back into the seat. It was easier than what she thought it would be, but it wasn't any less tiring. Most of the androids were surprisingly kind to her, she expected them to be more wary about her since she was a human. However, they just wanted help, didn't matter if it was from a man or a machine.

Markus and Connor walked over towards her. Markus approached with a wide smile on his face, "And this was your first time dealing with this? I'm not sure you were being entirely truthful, Doctor Margaret," Markus gently teased her.

Margaret scoffed, "I can still charge you for my services you know?" she said sarcastically.

"I'll try to repay back in thirium pumps and blue blood then."

The two laughed in unison. This help was a small win, a small step forward towards a brighter future for both androids and humans.

Connor watched them quietly and looked at Margaret with pride. He could see she was beyond tired. She had dark circles under eyes, and her hair was misplaced in a bunch of places, but she was still beautiful in many ways.

"You're welcomed here anytime, Doctor Margaret. You're one of us," Markus said.

"Margaret. Just call me Margaret, Markus. Don't worry, I'll be visiting here quite often."

Markus looked between the both of them, "Good. I'll be needing help from the both of you. The government is already swayed by the public opinion but," Markus looked down at the floor and furrowed his brows, "CyberLife might be our biggest obstacle."

"They don't want to relinquish the manufacturing factories do they?"

Markus sighed in frustration. "They say they want to take all of us and wipe our memories. That they can fix us and everything will go back to normal," Markus shook his head in disgust, "They claim this wasn't their fault and they don't know where deviancy originated."

"That's bullshit!" Margaret said in anger.

"Yes. But we don't have any evidence of them knowing otherwise," Markus crossed his arms, "they'll keep manufacturing them to remain as servants."

"No they won't," Margaret denied. From her coat she pulled out a small usb that she kept with her ever since CyberLife Tower. It was a precious item full of dirty files against CyberLife and the experiments they ran against androids.

"This usb has files that show that CyberLife knew about deviancy," she scrunched her nose in anger, "They're not so innocent as they claim to be."

Markus grabbed the usb and held it tightly in his grasp. "I'll make sure this reaches the humans. Then perhaps CyberLife won't stand in our way. They'll have no choice but to relinquish their factories," Markus smiled in victory. "Thank you. Both of you. We won't forget the work you've done for us."

"We do what we can, Markus," Connor said.

"You two are unexpected allies, but very good ones. I expect to see you again soon."

Connor and Margaret nodded and said their goodbyes. As they were reaching the exit, an android rushed over to approach them. Margaret blinked her eyes in confusion, she was seeing double.

"Doctor Margaret, it's me, Connor! The android from CyberLife Tower."


	18. 18

Margaret didn't know what to think of the Connor from CyberLife Tower. He looked exactly like the Connor she knew, but his personality was completely different. This Connor deviated much quicker and was more...lively than her Connor. If they were the same model, then why was this Connor so different? Maybe since CyberLife quickly manufactured him they didn't actually test his functions extensively.

However, she didn't want to question him on his personality, he seemed too naïve for such a complex question. He loved to follow her everywhere, he was fiercely protective of her and refused to leave her side.

Hank scolded the both of them when he noticed the two Connors the next morning. He stood dumbfounded in his pajamas as the two Connor's sat next to Margaret in the kitchen. They ended up getting quite a mouthful from him.

Connor was unusually distant to his duplicate, always giving him a suspicious look when he was around Margaret. The duplicate was always so eager to learn from Connor, but Connor wasn't having it and restricted his speech to very robotic responses.

It was so exhausting to keep up with this new Connor. He asked about everything. From his existence, to her life, to dogs, to music, to sports, and a bunch of insignificant facts about life. She didn't have the heart to refuse his requests, he was so kind and new to the world, he just wanted to know it all.

"Doctor Margaret, tell me, do you think I could have a pet of my own?" Connor asked innocently.

"Margaret. I asked you to call me Margaret, Connor. And yes, I don't see why not," she shrugged.

"Yes, I'd like to have a Sumo to myself," Connor said while patting the big dog.

Margaret laughed. "You can have a breed like him, but he won't be just like Sumo."

Connor cocked his head to his side, "Would they not be the same breed?"

"Yes, but the same breed doesn't mean they'll be the same dog. Even dogs have their own personality," she pointed at him, "You're not like your predecessor, so it's the same concept."

Connor processed this information and nodded. "Yes you're right, Doctor Margaret, of course." Connor finished his petting of Sumo and sat next to Margaret.

"Doctor Margaret, I recall you said once you wanted a pet as well."

Margaret smiled at Sumo. "I do want a nice companion of my own, Sumo's convinced me."

Connor's eyes glimmered with an idea. "We could both own a pet together if you'd like," Connor said enthusiastically.

Margaret widened her eyes at Connor's request. Her eyes drifted towards original Connor's figure, who was standing in the corner watching the whole conversation. He was tight lipped and had his face scrunched in slight anger. Was he jealous?

"Connor, I highly doubt Margaret would do such a thing with you," Connor said.

"I don't think Doctor Margaret would find it an issue. Why is there one with you?" Connor was hurt by his predecessors words.

"I'm simply looking after Margaret's well-being. How do we know you're still not working with CyberLife?"

"Connor! He was with Markus and the others. If he was working with them he would have done something long time ago," Margaret crossed her arms in defiance.

"I'm not working with CyberLife!" Connor stressed his voice, "I only wish the best for Doctor Margaret. I'm just like you."

Margaret got up from the couch and grabbed Connor by the arm and dragged him away from the room. She closed the door behind them and narrowed her eyes at Connor.

"Connor, what is the matter with you? He's not doing anything wrong, leave him alone," she scolded him.

"Margaret, at the end of the day he's an android we found at CyberLife Tower. He was sent to kill you, how do you know he won't do it again?" Connor raised his voice at her.

"Because he would have done it a long time ago! You know when he's lying and he hasn't told a single one. Enough with this jealousy, Connor!" She pushed him back with her finger.

Connor's LED fluctuated with yellow light. "Jealousy? That's not my intention. I simply want to keep you safe," Connor hesitated.

Margaret sighed in frustration. "Connor, I'm heading back to my home for tonight. I'm sorry I can't deal with you," she rubbed her temples.

"But, Hank said- "

"Connor can keep me safe," she interrupted him. "I'll be fine," she said in a flat voice.

"But-"

"Connor...please. A lot has been going on these past couple of days. I just want to rest in my own home for once. I'll come back in the morning."

Connor wanted to stop her from leaving, but she was insistent. She said her farewells and said without much of a word. Connor watched from the window as she walked alongside the other Connor. Was this jealousy like she said? He wanted to be in that Connor's place so badly. He wanted to ask her all of those questions and he wanted to be with her all the time. But something always kept him back. Maybe that's what made him different from this other Connor.

Meanwhile, Margaret and Connor finally reached her home. How long was it since she had been there? It seemed like forever ago since she had slept in her own bed.

Connor walked around her home curiously. Although he did have memories of her home, experiencing it was much better. He loved the cleanliness of her home, the minimalist style, and how it felt like...her.

"I'm sorry about Connor, uh Connor," Margaret looked at him with sad eyes, "He means well. He's just cautious."

Connor nodded. "Of course. I would have done the same. The probabilities of my betrayal are present, even I won't deny that to you. However, I no longer listen to my programming, so you have nothing to worry about," Connor smiled.

"Of course, Connor. I trust you," she nodded back. She looked back at her bathroom door. "For now though, I think I'm gonna take a shower. I need to some rest. You can explore the house if you'd like."

Connor's eyes sparkled with enthusiasm and began to walk around her home like it was some sort of museum. She laughed and shook her head at the android, and headed into the bathroom.

Connor continued to explore Margaret's home with interest, eventually leading to her bedroom which was unlocked. He analyzed all the information he could take from her room. Without much thought, he even began to rummage through her drawers. He noticed her uniforms, dresses, pajamas, old photos...it was overwhelming around of information, and he loved to take it all in.

In a lone corner of the room was a small dresser with a lamp on it. Connor, with all the curiosity in the world, opened the drawer to see what was inside. A gun.

Connor picked up the gun and turned it over in his hands. It was a standard hand gun, mainly used for protection. He had no doubts Lieutenant Anderson had convinced her to keep one, CyberLife was still out there after all.

Suddenly, Connor was pulled away from the environment around him. He blinked rapidly as he was greeted with a beautiful garden and lake. He had only been here once. When he first awoke he reported to Amanda. She was the one who ordered him to kill Doctor Margaret.

Almost like he was on auto pilot, his feet forced him to walk in her direction. There she was. Gardening her roses like when he first met her. She always seemed so calm, but he knew the power she had over him. Calm, but demanding.

"Connor, I'm glad to see you're doing well. I see you've located Doctor Margaret once more," Amanda said calmly while trimming her roses.

"You know I don't listen to you anymore, Amanda," he said gritted teeth.

Amanda smiled coldly. "You may think that Connor, but you'll always listen to me. Now, continue your mission. Don't worry, you and the other Connor will be replaced soon enough. But first...do as you're told."

"No! Amanda!" Connor shouted out as the scenery around him changed back home. He was back at Margaret's house with the gun still in his hand.

His hand trembled as he checked the gun for bullets. It was fully loaded. He walked out of her room with the gun behind his back. He knew what he needed to do.


	19. 19

Margaret hummed happily as the coffee machine brewed her favorite drink for her. She was at peace in her home. She was warm from her shower, and a cup of coffee soon to be in her hand. She glanced behind to see Connor standing completely still. She smiled at him.

"Did you finish your tour of my home?" she grinned.

Connor remained expressionless.

"Yes," he says in a monotone voice.

Margaret looked at him in curiosity and chuckled nervously. What the hell was wrong with him?

"Did you find anything interesting?"

"Yes..." Connor responds in a low, almost growling voice.

The ticking sound from her clock filled the tense air with even more tension. He was just...standing there. His eyes were piercing and unblinking. His posture rigid and unmoving. He looked like a statue stuck in time. He never looked at her like that...

"You...alright, Connor? You don't seem okay," she says unsure.

Finally, he acknowledges her and his expression changes in an instant. He looks scared.

"...I'm sorry, Doctor Margaret," he whispers.

From behind his back, Connor reveals the weapon he was hiding all along. He stands in front of her with a gun in front of her face and her mind goes blank. It's just like their first encounter. But this time, she doesn't think she can talk her way out of this one.

She raises her hands slowly, defensively as a sign that she doesn't want to harm him. Her heart rate accelerates, and she swears all she can hear is the sound of her heart beating in her ears.

She's innocent and unarmed, but Connor is unwavering. Any move she made, he would be much faster. But if she stood there, then her life would be over just like that. So she took a chance.

With all the speed and strength she could muster, Margaret jumped at Connor. A shot rings out in the silence of her home and the pain radiates from her shoulder and up to her neck. She shrieks from the sudden pain, but the adrenaline pumping screams even louder to keep struggling.

The two struggle to fight for control over the gun. It was a useless battle overall, as Connor was much stronger than her in every way. But the two grunt and sway back and forth as Margaret fights back with everything she had.

Cups, plates, ornaments, crash onto the floor as they bump into everything in this awful struggle. Connor grips her shoulder where she was shot, tightly, and she shouts in pain as his hands get tighter and tighter on her wound, pressing his thumb deeper inside her wound, and digging the bullet lodged in her shoulder even deeper inside. She can't take anymore of the intense pain, and she crumbles onto the floor beneath him.

Tears prick her inner eyes, and she's trembling from the pain and the fear. She looks at him with weak eyes. He only looks at her with cold eyes.

He steadies the gun and trains it on her head. Finally, she lets out a sob when the reality of her situation catches up. There really was no way out. And he had no longer had any doubts.

"Please...Connor," she makes a final plea to him, her voice hoarse and shaking.

His LED remains an aggressive red and he narrows his eyes at her. She swears she can hear him gulp.

"I don't know what I did wrong...I'm sorry if I hurt you in any way," she shakes her head. "I'm sorry I've failed you...you deserve more than a life of servitude," she spills her heart out to him.

For sometime he remains motionless, like her words had no effect on him, however, at that moment, she sees his hand quiver ever so slightly. And she swore she could see small tears start to water in his eyes.

What?

"I'm so sorry, Doctor Margaret," those are his final words.

And without any hesitation, he plants the gun against his jaw and presses the trigger.

The shot rings out loudly in the quiet home, and the sound echoes throughout the hallways and rooms. It taunts and mocks her pain. His body lands with a thump next to her, and small thirium droplets land on her face.

Her body shakes and convulses, and she tries to contain her sobbing with her hands. She lets out choked cries and she calls out to him, hoping he would get back up and remain his cheery self. But instead he stares up at the ceiling with cold, lifeless eyes.

She lays back against a kitchen cabinet and grips her wound to prevent it from soaking her shirt anymore and she cries. She cries at her ruined life. She cries at the loss of her friend. She cries at her blind ignorance towards CyberLife. And she cries from the pain.

She doesn't know how long she's there, crying on her kitchen floor until warm hands wrap around her and lift her up. Everything is in a spin and she's lead inside of a car.

She closes her eyes and tries to focus on anything but the pain. The last thing she hears is the reassuring voices calling out her name.


	20. 20

She opens her eyes to see a room of pure white. The smell of medicine and disinfectant fills the room, and she realizes where she's at. The beeps from the heart monitor confirm it for her. A hospital.

She tried to lift herself with her elbows, but a sharp pain from her shoulder made her do otherwise. A pair of soft hands steadied her.

"It's okay, Margaret. You don't need to stress yourself," someone reassured her.

Her groggy eyes failed to focus on the strangers face. She strained her eyes at them until she realized she was looking at, "Connor?" she slurred.

"Yes, it's me, Connor. Don't you recognize me?" he said with concern in his voice.

"I do...but I'm a bit delayed right now. I can't really think straight," she said slowly.

"It must be all the medicine and painkillers you're on. But you'll recover soon enough," he smiled at her.

Margaret struggled to get a look at her shoulder, her head lolling lamely on its side. She was covered in gauze and bandages, and an IV was inserted in the same arm. She winced at the throbbing pain from her arm.

"How did you find me?" she whispered.

Connor fiddled with the coin his hand, "Before the Connor...was destroyed, he contacted me. All he sent was the location of your home. I assumed the worst, and Hank and I rushed to your home."

Connor frowned and looked at her sadly. "I was...scared as we drove to your home. And when I arrived and I saw you hurt...," Connor tightened the grip on his coin, "I felt terrible. I never want to feel that again."

Connor reached over to where Margaret's hand and clasped it into his own. Even though she wasn't coherent from all the medication pumped into her, his touch always managed to make her heart skip a beat.

"Thank you, Connor...for everything," she said quietly.

Connor squeezed her hand she softly, "Of course. I'd do anything for you, Margaret."

She smiled at his words. "But there is something I'm confused about," she closes her eyes in contemplation.

"Yes?"

She opened her eyes languidly. "What happened to Connor? Why did he suddenly...change?" she shakes her head in confusion. "He was fine one second, and then he..." her voice cracks.

"I don't get it..."

Connor looks down at the floor in guilt, and deliberates in his words. "I believe I know why he tried to harm you."

"What?"

Connor fidgets in his chair uncomfortably and continues to avert his gaze. "I always reported back to CyberLife. However...I also reported back to someone," he says slowly.

"Who?" Margaret asks.

"She was part of my programming. An AI...a barrier to keep me in check. Her name was Amanda," his voice fails him at the end.

"Amanda?" Margaret flicker back and forth in remembrance. "Kamski's mentor?"

Connor nodded. "I always reported to her after every mission. I tried to remain on her good side. I tried to make her proud!" Connor says stressed.

"She tried to warn me of my relationship with you and Hank. Saying that the mission was above all else. But over time I realized that wasn't true..."

Margaret gasped in sudden realization, "She tried to curb your deviancy."

"When Markus made me realize what I really was, I thought I was rid of her. But when he was giving his speech to all the androids, I..."

Connor tightens his grip on her hand. His LED flashes color and he opens and closes his mouth to try and say anything, but he's too afraid.

"It's okay, Connor. You can tell me anything," she encourages him.

"I...tried to shoot him when he wasn't looking," he struggles with his words and he looks her straight in the eyes, "She was so angry and disappointed with me, and the cold I felt was nothing I had experienced, and I felt like it wasn't me and that I was dying and-!" Connor spits everything out rapidly and he looks beyond stressed than she had ever seen him.

She pulls on his hand lamely to get closer to her. He looks at her strangely and obliges and lets her pull him in. With the strength she currently possessed, she wraps her arms around him and gives him a weak hug. It was nothing like the strong hug she gave him before they left CyberLife Tower, and all the things plugged into her and bandages made it even more awkward. But it still had all the love and kindness as before.

She felt him relax in her arms, and his thirium pump slowed itself down. He had his face in the crook of her neck, his breath cool on her warm body. They stayed like that until Connor decided to finally let go. She swore she saw a hint of a blush on his cheeks.

"I was too afraid that Amanda would take over and something like this would happen. If I ever hurt you or Hank, I could never forgive myself. It's why it's so hard for me to open up..."

Margaret pats his hand. "It's okay, Connor. I know you're scared, but you knew about Amanda and you knew how to stop yourself. You just have to believe in yourself and your strength. She doesn't have to be apart of you if you don't want to."

Connor contemplates her words in silence. She was right about everything, but that fear he held deep down was still within him.

"I won't fail you, Margaret," Connor said sternly.

Margaret lowers her eyes timidly. "So is that why you shied away from me?"

Connor hates to admit, "Yes...that's partly why."

"So you do understand that there is something between us...right?" she says carefully.

"My social parameters state so, yes."

Margaret felt her cheeks burn, "W-Would you like to try? We can just let it happen naturally," she stammers.

"Naturally..." Connor repeats the foreign words. Connor looks at her in confusion. "You would like to, even if I'm not programmed to?"

Margaret smiles back. "Like I said, everyone has to learn. This might be new to you, but isn't it exciting?"

"I believe I'm more frightened at this point," Connor says sincerely.

Margaret laughs. "Yes, I suppose people do find these feelings frightening too."

Margaret cups her hand gently, around Connor's chin. "We'll be alright," she beams at him.

Connor tentatively places his hand around her own, "The probability of this working out is in our favor," he attempts to humor her.

Margaret shakes her head and chuckles, "There's the Connor I know."

Connor gets up and smiles at her warmly, "I should go get Hank. He was eating away his troubles," Connor says with his hand on the door.

Margaret rolls her eyes at him, "And you left him there? He might just have ate all of the cafeterias food," she jokes.

The corner of Connor's lips lifts up, "I might have been a bit distracted," he says cheekily.

Margaret shoots a sleepy grin at him, and motions him to go. Connor gives her a final glance and the door behind him clicks.

Margaret closes her eyes, her sleepiness kicking in. She's alone, but her heart is full. And that's more than enough for her.


	21. 21

"Hank, are you sure I'll be ok?"

"Jesus, Connor, you've been asking the same damn question for the past 30 minutes. You'll be fine."

Margaret watched with amusement from the kitchen table as Connor fiddled with the buttons on his shirt. What with androids finally setting into society, many were hoping to join the workforce just like humans. Although, the laws stated there must be an equal amount of humans and androids hired at the same establishment.

Of course, Connor jumped at the first opportunity and wanted to apply to the police station. It would seem so perfect for him to return as an actual enforcer, instead of just being CyberLife's puppet. Hank had bought him some clothes similar to his CyberLife jacket and button down, however without all the logos. The only thing distinguishing Connor from a human was his LED.

"Look, you can't fuck this up. You're literally made for this job. Fowler would be dumb to not accept you. He knew how well you did on the previous investigation," Hank said.

Hank put his hand on Connor's shoulder. "You'll be fine, Connor."

Connor remained tight-lipped and nodded. He checked his electronic resume once more, double checking that he had everything right. CyberLife had equipped him with information of all his features and his abilities. His resume was long and impressive, yet he still felt an internal nervousness of the idea of the interview.

"I'm gonna wait outside in the car. When you're ready, we'll leave," Hank motioned to the car with his thumb and walked away.

Connor sat down next to Margaret at the kitchen table, his face filled with worry. Margaret watched him quietly as he took the time to recover from his emotions.

Margaret reached over and squeezed his hand to remind him that she was with him in this troubling moment. Connor snapped his head up back to reality, only to sink his head back down in embarrassment.

"You'll be fine, Connor. Like Hank said, you're a natural at this. I'm sure Fowler won't even look twice at you to accept you," Margaret said in a soothing voice.

"I understand all of my qualifications are more than optimal for the positions, but I still feel an...uneasiness when I think about the job," Connor admits.

Margaret smiled at him knowingly, "Most humans do, Connor. You might be nervous now, but you'll feel better when you're actually getting interviewed. It'll be over before you know it."

Connor nodded simply at her advice, and then tilted his head at her. "What about you, Margaret? Will you not apply for a position at the police station?"

Margaret slumped back into her chair and lowered her gaze. "I...I'm not sure they'd accept me, Connor. I don't think CyberLife former employees have the greatest reputation right now," she said in dismay.

"Wasn't I, a CyberLife employee?"

Margaret shook her head. "No, you were sent by CyberLife without much choice," Margaret lowered her voice, "I, however, had full control of my life and for who I worked for. Im just suffering the consequences of my actions."

"I find this highly illogical, Margaret. Most CyberLife employees were being manipulated and lied to, you were a victim of their lies," Connor refused her reasoning.

"Connor, I might have been blinded, but I'm not stupid! I should have seen the signs and that was that," she said more sternly.

"How will you know if you never try? Unfortunately, you cannot live in the past, you have to move on like everyone else."

Margaret sighed and pouted at Connor's words. He was absolutely right. As much as she believed she deserved to pay back for her misdeeds, she couldn't rot away in Hank's home the rest of her life. Like he said...she needed to move on.

"I'll...look into position at the station,"Margaret finally gave in. "But don't expect anything from the Captain. If he denies my application we leave it at that, got it?"

Connor smiled, "Got it."

"You know, I was supposed to be the one cheering you up," Margaret said half-joking.

"It was a mutual uplifting."

Margaret chuckled. "Well...you don't want to leave Hank waiting, right? He's gonna give you a earful if you don't hurry."

Connor snapped up from his chair in a hurry, realizing that he didn't want to be late to his first interview. "My apologies, Margaret, you're absolutely right, I must go."

Margaret got up from her chair and motioned him away. "Go, do you whatcha do. But first..." Margaret walked around the table to stand in front of Connor.

"You need to fix this," Margaret grabbed his tie gently, and adjusted it back in place. She smoothed down his jacket and patted him in completion. "You'll do great, Connor," she smiled at him.

Without much warning, Margaret tiptoed and placed a brisk kiss on his cheek, and quickly scurried away into one of the rooms.

Connor remained completely still with his face completely blank. He gingerly touched his cheek where Margaret kissed him, and then looked back at his fingers in awe. It was an exhilarating feeling, how every time she could overwhelm his sensors, and leave him with no words left to say. He'd repay her back when he'd returned.


	22. 22

Connor received a call from the police station a few days later after his interview. He had been accepted. He was so excited and was beaming the entire day, that even his positive, happy attitude got to Hank. They had a little celebration from him at Hank's house that ended like it usually did, with Hank passed out with the tv on, and a open beer in his hand.

But Connor caught her off guard with a request she never thought she'd hear from him. A date. It took several blinks from her and a swig of her beer to process his wishes. But he was very firm at what he wanted. It was honestly pretty cute to see him so flustered, but she loved every second of it. How could she refuse him? Plans were made, and the date and time set.

She double-checked her self in the mirror to make sure she looked alright. How many years had passed since she had gone out on a date? Too many.

Her hair was pristine, and her dress was form-fitting. She wrapped herself in a leather jacket to protect herself from the cold outside and smiled at her own reflection. It was quite different from her old attire, but she felt freed from her restraints. She grabbed her keys and headed over to Hank's house.

When she knocked on Hank's door, Hank opened it with a tired, yet restless expression. In the background, she heard the hurried footsteps of someone in the house, along with constant repetition of checking things off a list. Hank did not look amused.

"Um, is Connor ready?" Margaret said curiously.

"He's been ready for the past hour, but he can't stop checking that everything's alright, like an android can forget," Hank crossed his arms in disapproval.

"Connor! Margaret's here!" Hank shouted into the home.

A flurry of footsteps came rushing towards the front door and Connor finally showed up. He had a button down shirt with his sleeves rolled up, along with dress pants and shoes. It was his signature style, but something about Connor dressing up for her made her warm up inside.

"M-Margaret, you're here. You look...acceptable," Connor struggled to find the right words. Hank elbowed him in response.

"I mean beautiful! Yes, you look wonderful," Connor calmed himself.

Margaret giggled. "Thank you, Connor, you're looking great as well. So, let's head out shall we?" she motioned him outside.

Connor waved Hank goodbye like a son heading out to his first prom. It was a very cute moment, and while Hank didn't say much about, she knew how much Connor meant to him.

They stood in front of a motorcycle parked outside Hank's house where Connor inspected it curiously.

"Is this yours, Margaret?" Connor sounded surprised.

"Why? Not my style?" Margaret looked at him smugly.

Connor tried his best to process his upcoming words. "It's not what I predicted from you. But I'm eager to know this side of you."

"Nice save."

Margaret sat down on her motorcycle, and revved up the bike to life. Connor gingerly placed his hands around her waist and held on tightly. Margaret grinned from the inside of her helmet, and drove away to Detroit's plaza.

Connor watched in amazement as the city zoomed past him. Detroit was alive tonight, with people on the streets, and the lights burning brightly in the night. He actually left his cold sensors on, to enjoy the sting of the cold wind invading his clothes. It was a combination of a thrilling experience, and a calming one as well.

They quickly arrived to the large plaza in Detroit, where people were early Christmas shopping, and restaurants were filled with people buying food. Connor couldn't help but analyze everything around him, not for danger or crime, but to simply enjoy the cheery atmosphere of the city.

They entered a nearby café that wasn't too full like the other restaurants, and scurried in to protect themselves from the cold. The café was warm and inviting, and the coffee aroma tempted their appetite.

As Margaret ordered for the both of them, Connor couldn't help but watch her with admiring eyes. He always thought she was pretty, but rarely did he find himself relishing her image. She was calm and gentle, yet calculating all the same. He thought he understood her dressing and decorating patterns, but her current attire and method of transportation was proof of otherwise. Humans were so unpredictable and complex, but he was always good at adapting.

Eventually, they ended up sitting down with their coffees in hand, and sweets to accompany it as well. Although Connor couldn't necessarily eat, he always enjoyed analyzing its components and the taste feedback he got from his senses. The coffee was sweet, and the pastry was even sweeter.

"Do you believe you'll enjoy a job at the police station, Margaret?" Connor asked.

Margaret stirred her coffee. "It might be a different change of pace, but anything is better than CyberLife at this point," she admitted.

"What position would you take at the station?" Connor asked curiously.

Margaret shook her head. "I'm not entirely sure. I don't have any police training, and my studies didn't exactly include crime scene inspection," Margaret sighed, "My only usefulness is my knowledge of androids. Few people actually know how they function."

"With androids integrating into society, the crime rate from them is expected to rise. Your knowledge would prove useful," Connor said knowingly.

"It's whatever the Captain decides, Connor."

The conversation was left there as Margaret peacefully drank her coffee, and bit into her food. They continued to have pleasant small talk and discuss about Hank, Sumo, Markus, their likes, dislikes, and Connor's evolving person. It was definitely...different to be speaking about anything but CyberLife and their struggles. It reminded Connor of their time spent at Margaret's home, listening to music. Spending time with her made him feel human. She was human. He wasn't. This was too human for him and Amanda had told him that he wasn't-

"Connor...are you listening to me?" Margaret leaned forward to see what was wrong.

Connor blinked repeatedly and snapped back to the situation. Margaret stared back with a worried expression.

"I was asking if you wanted to know about my previous boyfriend," Margaret said quietly.

Connor frowned. This clearly wasn't a comfortable topic for her. "Are you sure you want to bring this up? I know this is a sensitive topic for you."

Margaret ran her pinky around the rim of her coffee cup, deep in thought. "I know it's not exactly a pleasant conversation to bring up, but I feel like I had to tell you at some point. It's been a long time coming..."

It had been a long time coming. There had been some time since Margaret found out the true fate of her previous partner. He was curious about the files she had received back at CyberLife, but his social parameters advised him to not ask. She would have told him when she was ready.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, Margaret."

"I do."

Margaret prodded her food with a fork, avoiding Connor's eyes and sighed. "I thought for the longest time that my boyfriend was murdered by an android. And he technically was, but it wasn't so simple."

"What happened?"

"Apparently, my boyfriend was abusing this android. My boyfriend was a chef at a high-end restaurant, and of course there were many android waiters and cooks to help in the kitchen," Margaret shifted uncomfortably in her seat, "Well, apparently he wasn't so kind to the helpers. He said terrible things to them, pushed them around, even purposely made them to task to try and harm them."

Margaret lowered her head in shame. "One day, he pushed one of the androids too far, and when his shift ended, the android was waiting for him outside a back alley and...killed him."

"So the android acted out of self-defense and fear..." Connor realized.

"This was one of the first cases of aggression from an android, and one of the first murders," Margaret tightened her fists, "But CyberLife to save face, decided to pay off the media to prevent people from knowing. They even hid it internally from their own employees," Margaret scowled, "They hid it from me."

"So, the situation was getting worse even before all these deviant cases, they just didn't tell anyone," Connor's eyes darted back and forth, processing the information.

"They didn't want to tell me, so I wouldn't question about deviants. They wanted me to remain one of their researchers," Margaret scrunched her nose in disgust, "But since I kept persisting, they got rid of me either way." Margaret scrubbed her eyes angrily. "I thought it was my fault, that I did something wrong. But all this time it was them. It was always them."

Connor could see that Margaret wanted to cry, her bottom lip trembling, and her chest raised up and down from shaky breaths. Connor got up from his chair and grasped her hand into his, pulling her up from her seat. Margaret didn't complain and let herself be taken away.

Connor walked back towards the open plaza where he found a lone bench, separated from the hustle and bustle of the main center of the plaza. He sat with her till she calmed herself. While no tears fell, she was still disturbed from her confession. He held her hand the whole time.

"I'm sorry. This was supposed to be fun, not depressing," she murmured.

"I enjoyed myself quite a lot actually. You don't need to apologize for something that needed to be said," Connor said calmly.

Margaret sniffles and smiled weakly at him, "You have too much patience with me, Connor. I think anyone would have snapped at this point from all the baggage, and rudeness of humans."

" I do pride myself in my social restraint if that's what you mean. I realize most humans carry many emotions, I simply adapt to them."

Margaret leaned against Connor and laid her head on his shoulder. "Yes, doesn't mean you should just take it."

"I'm my own person now...so I won't let people run me over anymore, even from Detective Reed."

Margaret couldn't help but laugh into his shoulder. "No one should take anything from him," she said amused.

Connor breathed in the cold air and smiled, what an amazing night. Margaret kept him warm with her touch, and just with her presence. The concept of affection was still new to him. He didn't have anything in his processing that indicated what he felt, and he didn't want to search any files on the concept. He wanted to enjoy the raw, unknown feeling.

Connor peered down at Margaret, who looked like she was at peace. Margaret noticed that he was staring at her and raised her head to look at him.

"Connor?" she breathed out.

Connor didn't know what prompted him to move forward, and he didn't know what he was really doing. His lips met hers for a brief moment, if it could even be called that. It was more like he brushed his lips against her. But just that brief moment was more than enough to send shivers down his core.

Margaret watched him expectedly, waiting for him to try once again. He hesitated once more, afraid of the intense emotions associated with the kiss, yet he moved forward once more.

This time his touch lingered for much longer, although he wasn't aware that he needed to move to keep things from being awkward. Margaret tried to lead him, to give him hints to mirror her movements. He eventually learned how to kiss back, his actions still unsure. His feelings, however were more than solid. He knew what this feeling was, but at the same time it was still uncharted territory.

He wanted to keep kissing her, to show her how he felt in a way that words couldn't describe. He knew it was awkward, and she knew that he was still new at this. But in that moment, neither cared.


End file.
